History
Pointe Blanche Naval Support Point was established in 2013 at Pointe Blanche, Sint Maarten. [8] The base was established to meet the local government's desire for a military presence on Sint Maarten. [8] While the base was established in 2013, the first twenty marines arrived a year later on 4 March 2014. [4] In total there are 29 persons stationed at the base, which includes a staff consisting of 9 persons. [5] Together they form the Sint Maarten Marine Detachment (Dutch: Detachment Mariniers Sint-Maarten; DETSXM). [7] [9] The Netherlands Marine Corps detachment can provide support for various matters, ranging from search and rescue operations to assisting the local police with prison searches. [4] [10] At the base the marines have access to two FRISC's and near the base there are several training facilities. [5] These facilities have been improved and expanded over the years. [8]
The marines stationed at Pointe Blanche Naval Support Point frequently take part in exercises, such as the Hurricane Relief Exercise (HUREX). [2] They also work together with the local police, fire department, emergency medical services and the Sint Maarten Volunteer Corps. [11]
The Netherlands armed forces are the military forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The armed forces consist of four service branches: the Royal Netherlands Navy, the Royal Netherlands Army, the Royal Netherlands Air Force and the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. The service branches are supplemented by various joint support organizations. In addition, local conscript forces exist on the Dutch Caribbean islands of Aruba and Curaçao. These operate under the auspices of the Royal Netherlands Navy and the Netherlands Marine Corps. The armed forces are part of the Ministry of Defence.
The Royal Netherlands Navy is the maritime service branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was founded on 8 January 1488, making it the third-oldest naval force in the world.
The Royal Netherlands Marine Corps is the elite naval infantry corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy, one of the four Armed Forces of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The marines trace their origins to the establishment of the Regiment de Marine on 10 December 1665, by the then grand pensionary of the Dutch Republic, Johan de Witt and famous Admiral Michiel de Ruyter. It is the second-oldest still-active marine corps in the world.
The Royal Netherlands Air Force is the military aviation branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. It was created in 1953 to succeed its predecessor, the Luchtvaartafdeling of the Dutch Army, which was founded in 1913. The aerobatic display team of the Royal Netherlands Air Force, active from 1979 until 2019, was the Solo Display Team.
The Royal Netherlands Army is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the Staatse Leger was raised making the Dutch standing army one of the oldest in the world. It fought in the Napoleonic Wars, World War II, the Indonesian War of Independence and the Korean War, as well as served with NATO on the Cold War frontiers in West Germany from the 1950s to the 1990s.
The Royal Military Academy is the service academy for the Dutch Army, the Dutch Air Force and the Royal Marechaussee. Located in Breda, Southern Netherlands, the KMA has trained future officers since 1828.
HNLMS Karel Doorman is a multi-function support ship for amphibious operations of the Royal Netherlands Navy, which is also used by the German Navy. The ship replaced both of the navy's replenishment oilers: HNLMS Zuiderkruis and HNLMS Amsterdam. At 204.7 m she is the largest ship in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy.
In the Dutch honours system, most orders are the responsibility of ministers of the Netherlands Government. The house orders, however, are awarded at the discretion of the Dutch monarch alone.
The Royal Naval College was the service academy of the Royal Netherlands Navy. From 2005 it is part of the Koninklijk Instituut voor de Marine as part of the Nederlandse Defensie Academie in Den Helder. It offers a program of four or five years and also a short course of 16 to 22 months. Upon the completion of the program a graduate is awarded a bachelor's degree and is commissioned in the Royal Netherlands Navy. The training of officers for the Royal Netherlands Army and Royal Netherlands Air Force is done by the Koninklijke Militaire Academie in Breda.
The Caribbean Netherlands is a geographic region of the Netherlands located outside of Europe, in the Caribbean, consisting of three special municipalities. These are the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius, and Saba, as they are also known in legislation, or the BES islands for short. The islands are officially classified as public bodies in the Netherlands and as overseas territories of the European Union; as such, European Union law does not automatically apply to them.
Jacobus Ruurd "Jaap" Bruijn, was a Dutch maritime historian. He was professor of maritime history at the University of Leiden from 1979 until his retirement in 2003. During his 41-year teaching career as The Netherlands' only university professor of maritime history, he guided the doctoral theses of at least 49 graduate students.
The Korps Commandotroepen (KCT) is the elite special forces unit of the Royal Netherlands Army. The KCT traces its origins to the Second World War with the founding of No. 2 (Dutch) Troop, and the founding of the Korps Speciale Troepen during the Indonesian War of Independence. At present, the unit is tasked with conducting the full spectrum of special operations, its principal tasks being direct action, special reconnaissance, military assistance and counter-terrorism.
The UK–Dutch Battlegroup or UK/NL EUBG 2010 is an EU Battlegroup led by the United Kingdom, in which the Netherlands also participate. It was on standby during the first half of 2010, simultaneously with Battlegroup I-2010.
Kay Gerritsen is a Sint Maartener footballer who plays as a midfielder for DSOV. Born in Netherlands, he represented for the Sint Maarten national team.
The Netherlands Maritime Special Operations Forces is the special forces unit of the Marine Corps of the Royal Netherlands Navy. It is one of the three principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands. The unit can be deployed worldwide to conduct special operations, including counter-terrorism both overseas and domestically, with a maritime focus. Its operations are planned and coordinated by the Netherlands Special Operations Command.
HNLMS Den Helder is a new replenishment oiler under construction for the Royal Netherlands Navy. Also known as the Combat Support Ship (CSS), Den Helder is planned to fill the gap of replenishment at sea that was left after HNLMS Amsterdam was sold to Peru in 2014. The design is based on the Karel Doorman.
The 12 cm K.A. was a Dutch fortress, siege and naval rifled bronze breechloading gun. In the Dutch army it was called Kanon Brons getrokken van 12 cm K.A.. In the Dutch navy: Kanon van 12 cm A No. 2. It was produced in substantial numbers in the Netherlands. There were also steel and steel bronze versions.
The Rotterdam class are two landing platform dock (LPD) ships in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy. Built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding at Vlissingen, their mission is to carry out amphibious warfare by transporting the bulk of the Korps Mariniers. Each ship has both a large helicopter flight deck and a well deck for large landing craft, as well as space for up to 33 main battle tanks.
Royal Netherlands Navy