Mine Service

Last updated
Royal Netherlands Navy Mine Service
Mijnendienst
Founded1907;118 years ago (1907)
CountryFlag of the Netherlands.svg Netherlands
Branch Royal Netherlands Navy
Part of Ministry of Defence
Engagements

The Royal Netherlands Navy Mine Service (Dutch: Mijnendienst) is a department within the Royal Netherlands Navy that is responsible for keeping Dutch coastal waterways and approaches to major seaport areas mine-free. [1] [2] It was established out of the Royal Netherlands Navy Torpedo Service in 1907. [3]

Contents

History

The Royal Netherlands Navy Mine Service was established in 1907 when the first Dutch naval mine, Type 1907, was taken into service. [4] The decision to introduce the naval mine was made a year earlier in 1906 and was likely influenced by the important role that mines had played during the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. [5] [6] The first minelayers and minesweepers that were used by the mine service consisted of ships that had been modified to be able to lay or sweep mines. [7]

World War I

During the First World War the minelayers of the mine service laid several defensive minefields to defend the neutrality of the Netherlands. [2] [8] The idea behind the minefields was that it would make it harder for foreign naval ships to enter Dutch territorial waters. [9] Besides laying minefields the ships and personnel of the mine service were also involved in disabling drifting and stranded mines. [9] The important role of the mine service during this period led to an increase of new material. [10] [7] As a result the mine service had at the end of the First World War 17 minelayers in service. [6]

Cold War

During the Iran–Iraq War two Alkmaar class minehunters, Hellevoetsluit and Maassluis, took part in a Western European Union mine counter measure mission in the Persian Gulf. [11]

Notes

Citations

  1. "Oude mijnen nog steeds explosief". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 12 November 1977.
  2. 1 2 T.J. Kerpel (14 May 1977). "Mijnendienst bestaat zeventig jaar". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch).
  3. Woudstra (1982), p. 138.
  4. Roetering (1997), p. 10.
  5. "Diamanten feest in Den Helder: Mijnendienst Nederland bestaat zestig jaar". Leeuwarder Courant (in Dutch). 25 March 1967.
  6. 1 2 Woudstra (1982), p. 140.
  7. 1 2 Roetering (1997), p. 14.
  8. Raven (1988), p. 71.
  9. 1 2 Raven (1988), p. 84.
  10. Quant (1919), p. 18.
  11. van der Peet, Anselm (November 2017). "Mijnenbestrijding in de Iran-Irakoorlog 1987-1988: Achtergronden bij een politiek-militair gewaagde Nederlandse out-of-area operatie" (PDF). Marineblad (in Dutch). Vol. 127, no. 7. pp. 28–32.

Bibliography

Further reading

Emblem of the Royal Netherlands Navy Mine Service (in Dutch)