Construction and career
Following the end of World War I, the Dutch government created a commission to give recommendations about the future of naval planning in light of developments during the war and in the treaties that followed. The commission recommended that in the Netherlands coastal waters, Royal Netherlands Navy priority was to be given to defend approaches to river mouths as the mostly like source of attack was by land. In response to that recommendation, Van Merleent launched in 1920 and completed in 1922. Douwe Aukes was launched and completed that same year.
With the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, and the defeat of the nation, Douwe Aukes and Van Merleent both sailed for the United Kingdom in May. Van Merleent was transferred to British Royal Navy service on 14 March 1941.Douwe Aukes was converted to a convoy escort leader and transferred to Royal Navy service on 29 April 1941.Van Merleent did not survive much longer when on 4 June 1941, the vessel was mined and sunk in the Thames River estuary. Douwe Aukes survived the war and was returned to the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1945. In 1948, the vessel was converted to a depot ship and remained as such until scrapped in 1962.
The Java class was a class of light cruisers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, with the lead ship named after the island of Java in the Dutch East Indies. Originally, three ships were planned: Java, Sumatra, and Celebes. Celebes was intended to be the flagship of the naval commander in the Dutch East Indies, and therefore she was slightly bigger than the other two ships. However, the contract was cancelled with 30 tons of material already prepared.
HNLMS Kortenaer was an Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after 17th century Dutch Admiral Egbert Bartholomeusz Kortenaer.
HNLMS Van Ghent was an Admiralen-class destroyer built for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1920s. The destroyer served in the Netherlands East Indies but was wrecked after running aground in 1942.
HMS Adventure, pennant number M23, was an Adventure-class minelaying cruiser of the Royal Navy built in the 1920s that saw service during the Second World War. Her commander between 1928 and 1929 was the future First Sea Lord John H. D. Cunningham. Laid down at Devonport in November 1922 and launched in June 1924, Adventure was the first vessel built for service as a minelayer; she was also the first warship to use diesel engines, which were used for cruising. Adventure first joined the Atlantic Fleet, then was transferred to the China Station in 1935. In World War II, the ship was damaged in 1941 and 1944, and was converted to a landing craft repair in 1944. In 1945 Adventure was reduced to reserve and in 1947 she was sold and broken up for scrap.
The Azalea class of twelve minesweeping sloops were built under the Emergency War Programme for the Royal Navy in World War I as part of the larger Flower class, which were also referred to as the Cabbage class, or "Herbaceous Borders". The third batch of twelve ships to be ordered in May 1915, they differed from the preceding Acacia class only in mounting a heavier armament. One ship, converted to a Q-ship was lost during the war, another during the Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War in 1919. With the exception of two others, the rest were scrapped. One entered mercantile service, while the other was transferred to the Belgian Navy. Both were captured by the Germans during World War II and put into German service. One was lost with the final ship being scrapped in 1952
The Aetos class were four destroyers were originally constructed for the Argentine Navy as the San Luis class. In Greek they are known as the Thiria class, after the ships' names. They were purchased by the Royal Hellenic Navy in October 1912 when the Greek government expanded its navy after losing the Greco-Turkish War of 1897 and in anticipation of the Balkan Wars. In December 1916, during World War I, three of the destroyers were seized by France and served in the French Navy until 1918, all except Panthir. They were returned to Greece in 1918. In 1924–1925, they were extensively rebuilt and continued in service into World War II, where they fought with the Allies. Leon was sunk by German aircraft at Suda Bay, Crete. The other three destroyers survived the war and were used as station ships during the Greek Civil War. They were discarded in 1946.
The Jan van Amstel class was a class of nine minesweepers of the Royal Netherlands Navy, built to serve in the Dutch East Indies and Dutch territorial waters in Europe. The class was originally planned to consist of 12 ships, but because of the German occupation of the Netherlands in the Second World War, three of the four ships that were still under construction were never completed.
HNLMS Pieter de Bitter was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper of the Royal Netherlands Navy that served in World War II.
HNLMS Jan van Gelder was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper of the Royal Netherlands Navy that served in World War II.
HNLMS Willem van Ewijck was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
HNLMS Abraham van der Hulst was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper built for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1930s. The German invasion of the Netherlands resulted in the ship being scuttled at Enkhuizen on 14 May 1940, but was raised by the Germans and entered service as the minesweeper M 553 with Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine. The vessel was sunk by a mine off East Prussia on 21 April 1944. M 552 was raised on 20 July 1944 and towed to Stettin. There, the ship was bombed and burned out 20 August 1944. The wreck was captured by the Soviets. One source says she was returned to the Netherlands post war.
HNLMS Abraham van der Hulst was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper of the Royal Netherlands Navy.
HNLMS Pieter Florisz was a Jan van Amstel-class minesweeper of the Royal Netherlands Navy and Nazi Germany's Kriegsmarine during World War II.
The Ruotsinsalmi-class minelayers were a two-strong class of minelayers in the Finnish Navy. The two ships, comprising Ruotsinsalmi and Riilahti, were constructed in Finland and saw service in the Winter War and World War II. Riihahti was sunk in an engagement with Soviet motor torpedo boats on 23 August 1943. Ruotsinsalmi survived the wars and remained in service in the post war Finnish Navy until being withdrawn in the 1970s.
HNLMS Douwe Aukes was a minelayer of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She was built in the Gusto shipyard at Schiedam as the lead ship of the Douwe Aukes class, and one of her early commanders was Eugène Lacomblé.
HNLMS Van Meerlant was a minelayer of the Royal Netherlands Navy built in the Gusto shipyard at Schiedam as part of the Douwe Aukes class.
HNLMS Medusa was a Dutch Hydra-class minelayer, built in Amsterdam and named after Medusa in Greek mythology.
HNLMS Piet Hein was an Admiralen-class destroyer of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after 17th century Dutch Admiral Piet Pieterszoon Hein.
The Japanese submarine chaser CH-2 was a No.1-class submarine chaser of the Imperial Japanese Navy during World War II. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Yokohama, she was completed on 25 March 1934.
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