Alkmaar-class minehunter

Last updated
M 853 Haarlem Bergen Norway 2009 2.JPG
Haarlem
Class overview
NameAlkmaar class
Builders Van der Giessen-De Noord, Alblasserdam
Operators
Preceded by Dokkum class
Succeeded by Vlissingen class
Cost1.3 billion Dutch guilders
Built1979–1989
In commission1983–present
Planned15
Completed15
Active14
Laid up1
General characteristics [1] [2]
Type Minehunter
Displacement510 t (500 long tons)
Length49.10 m (161 ft 1 in)
Beam8.90 m (29 ft 2 in)
Draft2.45 metres (8 ft 0 in)
Propulsion
Speed15 knots (28 km/h; 17 mph)
Range3,000  nmi (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Boats & landing
craft carried		2 x PAP 104
Crew22-34
Sensors and
processing systems
  • 1 x DUBM 21B sonar
  • 1 x Racal Decca 1229 radar
  • EVEC plotting system
Armament1 x 20 mm machine gun

The Alkmaar class is a ship class of fifteen minehunters that were built in the Netherlands for the Royal Netherlands Navy. [3] [4] They are based on the design of the Tripartite class, which was developed by a collaborative effort between the Netherlands, Belgium and France, and replaced the minesweepers and minehunters of the Dokkum class. [5] [6] [7]

Contents

Design and construction

In 1975 the Netherlands, Belgium and France signed an agreement to develop a new mine countermeasures vessel together. [8] At the same time it was also decided that each country would contribute to the construction by being responsible for certain components and systems. [6] [9] As a result, the Netherlands was responsible for the main propulsion, the gearboxes and propellers. [9] France delivered the mine countermeasure and electronics systems, while Belgium build the remaining electronics and mechanic installations. [8]

The construction of the Alkmaar class started in 1979 at the shipyard of Van der Giessen-De Noord in Alblasserdam. [10] The ships were made from polyester, which required new construction methods in comparison to the previous mine countermeasure vessels that were built at the shipyard. [1] [11] As a result, Van der Giessen-De Noord invested 42 million Dutch guilders to build a new dedicated production hall that had a specific climate indoors and allowed serial construction in the same way as for aircraft production. [9] [11] [12] Inside the production hall there was an assembly line that contained four stations, with each ship staying around 21 weeks at a station before moving to the next. [13] Besides a new hall and tools, the shipyard also had to train personnel to be able to handle fiberglass and fiberglass sheets, which were used to construct the polyester ships. [13] The construction of the 15 minehunters are estimated to have cost a total of 1.3 billion Dutch guilders. [10]

Mine countermeasure systems

To hunt mines the Alkmaar class was equipped with the French DUBM 21B sonar, which was used to detect and classify mines, a Racal Decca 1229 radar and an EVEC plotting system. [14] [10] The sonar had a range of almost one kilometer and allowed the ship to search for mines up to a depth of 80 meters underwater. [15] [16] In addition, each ship was equipped with two Poisson Auto-Propulsé (PAP) type 104 submarine drones that were used for mine disposal. [17] [10] This PAP 104 wire guided drone had a television camera aboard for observation and could be fitted out with explosives to destroy mines from a safe distance. [17] [18]

Armament

The Alkmaar class had as armament a single 20 mm machine gun. [1] [2]

Propulsion

The minehunters of the Alkmaar class are equipped with a Brons-Werkspoor A-RUB 215 V12 diesel engine that can produce 1900 bhp. [19] [20] This non magnetic diesel engine was produced by Brons-Industrie and a development of the earlier Werkspoor RUB 215 diesel engine. [21] [22] The Brons-Werkspoor A-RUB 215 V12 diesel engine can drive the two active screws of the minehunters to a maximum speed of 15 knots. [19] Besides the two screws, the minehunters also have a bow thruster. [19]

Service history

Between 1987 and 1989 Maassluis, Hellevoetsluis and Urk were active in the Persian Gulf as part of a Western European Union (WEU) mine clearing operation and placed under Belgian command. [23]

In 1990 Alkmaar and Zierikzee took part in the exercise Safe Pass at the west coast of America. [24]

In 2024 Willemstad, Makkum and Zierikzee took part in BALTOPS alongside other naval ships of the Royal Netherlands Navy. [25]

Ships in class

The ships of the Alkmaar class are named after medium-sized Dutch municipalities that played a role in the Eighty Years' War and can also be accessed by these ships. [2] [26]

Alkmaar class construction data [27] [4]
Pennant no.NameBuilderLaid downLaunchedCommissionedDecommissionedFate
M 850 Alkmaar Van der Giessen-De Noord
Alblasserdam, Netherlands		30 January 19792 May 198228 May 19832000Sold to Latvia in 2007
M 851 Delfzijl 29 May 198030 October 198217 August 19832000Sold to Latvia in 2007
M 852 Dordrecht 5 January 198118 February 198316 November 19832000Sold to Latvia in 2007
M 853 Haarlem 16 June 19816 May 198312 January 19842011Sold to Pakistan in June 2021 [28]
M 854 Harlingen 30 November 19811 July 198312 April 19842000Sold to Latvia in 2007
M 855 Scheveningen 24 May 19822 December 198318 July 19842002Sold to Latvia in 2007
M 856 Maassluis 7 November 198227 April 198412 December 19842011Sold to Bulgaria in 2019 [29] [30]
M 857 Makkum 28 February 198327 September 19848 May 1985
M 858 Middelburg 11 July 198318 February 198510 December 19862011Sold to Pakistan in June 2021 [28]
M 859 Hellevoetsluis 12 December 198318 July 198520 February 19872011Sold to Bulgaria in 2019 [31] [30]
M 860 Schiedam 7 May 198412 December 19859 July 1986
M 861 Urk 1 October 19842 May 198610 December 198622 June 2022 [32]
M 862 Zierikzee 25 February 19851 October 19867 May 1987
M 863 Vlaardingen 5 May 19866 August 198815 March 198927 March 2024 [33]
M 864 Willemstad 6 October 198627 January 198920 September 1989

Export

Ukraine

In March 2023 it was reported that the Netherlands would donate two Alkmaar-class minehunters to Ukraine. [34] [35] The transfer of these ships would most likely start from 2025. [36] [37]

Notes

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 van Amstel (1991), p. 80.
  2. 1 2 3 Woudstra (1982), p. 156.
  3. ↑ Raven (1988), p. 185.
  4. 1 2 Schoonoord (2012), p. 320.
  5. ↑ "Mijnenjager Delfzijl". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 10 August 1981.
  6. 1 2 Raven (1988), p. 141.
  7. ↑ Schoonoord (2012), pp. 202–203.
  8. 1 2 "Koningin doopt eerste van nieuw type mijnenbestrijder". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). 17 May 1982.
  9. 1 2 3 "Nieuwe mijnenbestrijder bij marine in gebruik". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). 30 May 1983.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Roetering (1997), p. 148.
  11. 1 2 "Alkmaarklasse mijnenjagers". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch). 14 March 2023.
  12. ↑ Woudstra (1982), p. 151.
  13. 1 2 Henk Knoop (10 September 1983). "In schone "kraamkamer" bouwt jonge ploeg vijftien polyester marineschepen: Oude werf levert modernste mijnenjagers". De Telegraaf (in Dutch).
  14. ↑ "Netherlands agrees possible transfer of 2 M-Class frigates and 6 Alkmaar-class Minehunters to Greece". Navy Recognition. 31 October 2021.
  15. ↑ "Vaten landbouwgif nog niet boven water". Trouw (in Dutch). 18 February 1984.
  16. ↑ Henk Knoop (22 November 1984). "Geheim Russisch wapen gesnapt in volle zee". De Telegraaf (in Dutch).
  17. 1 2 Raven (1988), p. 140.
  18. ↑ Woudstra (1982), pp. 146-147.
  19. 1 2 3 Gardiner, Chumbley and Budzbon (1995), p. 283.
  20. ↑ "The XVth CIMAC and Rudolf Diesel". Schip en Werf. Vol. 50, no. 12. Rotterdam: Wyt & Zonen. 1983. pp. 151–152.
  21. ↑ Wesselo (1985), p. 175.
  22. ↑ E. van den Pol (1981). "A Meditation on the Diesel engine in relation to the Royal Netherlands Navy" (PDF). RDM-archief. Schip en Werf. pp. 177–178.
  23. ↑ Schoonoord (2012), p. 245.
  24. ↑ Roetering (1997), p.153.
  25. ↑ Mariska Buitendijk (12 June 2024). "Seven Dutch naval vessels partake in NATO exercise". SWZ|Maritime.
  26. ↑ "Op werf in Alblasserdam:Mijnenvegers Delfzijl en Dordrecht gedoopt". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 28 February 1983.
  27. ↑ van Amstel (1991), pp. 80-81.
  28. 1 2 Jaime Karremann (6 October 2022). "Verkochte mijnenjagers Haarlem en Middelburg onderweg naar Pakistan". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  29. ↑ Jaime Karremann (11 November 2019). "Bulgarije koopt twee Nederlandse mijnenjagers". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  30. 1 2 Jaime Karremann (7 September 2020). "Verkochte mijnenjagers onderweg naar Bulgarije". Marineschepen.nl.
  31. ↑ "Netherlands sold 2 Tripartite class mine hunter to Bulgaria". Navy Recognition. 15 November 2019.
  32. ↑ Jaime Karremann (7 June 2022). "Mijnenjager Zr.Ms. Urk wordt eind juni uit dienst gesteld". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  33. ↑ Jaime Karremann (27 March 2024). "Mijnenjager Vlaardingen uit dienst, Makkum later dit jaar". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  34. ↑ "Nederland belooft Oekraïne mijnenjagers, droneradars en brugslagvaartuig". NOS (in Dutch). 14 March 2023.
  35. ↑ "Militaire steun aan Oekraïne". Ministerie van Defensie (in Dutch).
  36. ↑ "Nederland levert mijnenjagers en ander militair materiaal aan Oekraïne". NU.nl (in Dutch). 14 March 2023.
  37. ↑ Jaime Karremann (14 March 2023). "Nederland gaat mijnenjagers aan Oekraïne schenken". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).

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