Dutch 1913 battleship proposal

361: 502: 731:

a greater amount of weight to protection: 8,974 long tons (9,118 t, 34.8% of the displacement), versus 8,820 long tons (8,960 t, 31.77%). Blohm & Voss' design included a belt starting at 150 mm in the bow, increasing to 250 mm, then tapering to 100 millimeters (3.9 in) in the stern. It would have been powered by six double-ended coal boilers with oil burners alongside. These boilers would have generated 38,000 shaft horsepower (shp) to drive four propellers, giving the ships a maximum speed of 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h). Only one rudder would have been fitted. The Vickers design had a shorter belt of 250 mm amidships, and would have used 15 boilers with oil burners to provide 34,000 shp and the same 22 knots.

646:, was held on 10 November 1913 to finalize the battleships' specifications. It was decided that the ships would be armed with eight 343 mm (13.5 inch) L/45 guns in four superfiring turrets mounted on the centerline, a secondary armament of sixteen 150 mm (5.9 inch) and twelve 75 mm (2.9 inch) guns and at least two, possibly four, 533 mm (21 inch) side-launching submerged torpedo tubes and a single stern torpedo tube. The ships were to have a speed of at least 21 knots (39 km/h) and an endurance of more than 5,000 nautical miles (9,300 km) at 12 knots (22 km/h). They would be propelled by oil-fired boilers powering turbines and three or four propeller shafts. Armor protection would comprise a 24: 875:

this issue was centered on the questions of who should pay for the ships and who would make the greatest profits from the NEI remaining under Dutch rule. Arguments against the NEI paying for the ships included that the resources required were needed to fund economic and social development and that the cost of the ships would increase opposition to Dutch rule, thereby worsening the security situation in the East Indies. Some critics of the plan also argued that it was unreasonable to expect the Dutch subjects in the NEI to pay for ships intended to prolong colonial rule. In contrast,

884: 46: 632: 610:("Our Fleet") naval advocacy association, argued that it was necessary to build a strong fleet which was capable of defending the NEI as the loss of the colonial empire would greatly damage the Dutch economy and reduce the country's prestige. The Dutch Naval staff also debated the relative merits of torpedo boats and battleships, and concluded that while small craft and submarines were suitable for defending the Netherlands, large warships were needed to effectively protect the sprawling East Indies. 989: 324:(Royal Netherlands Army) over how to best protect the NEI, and the question of how the cost of the ships should be split between the Netherlands and the NEI also was not settled until July 1914. After considering the recommendations, the Dutch Government decided to acquire four battleships, and a bill seeking funding for them was introduced into the Dutch parliament in August 1914. However, this was withdrawn following the outbreak of the 576:, which argued that advocates of building large warships had forced their views on the other members of the commission. Moreover, he believed that the proposed fleet would be inadequate given the rapid naval expansion being undertaken by the major powers, and that if it was adopted there would be a requirement to buy further dreadnoughts in order to keep pace. This note was included as an appendix to the Commission's report. 918:, believed that the NEI's population needed to be sheltered from the cost of the ships to the extent possible so that funding for welfare projects was not reduced or taxes increased from what were already high levels. In 1914 he settled on a plan under which the necessary revenue would be raised through increasing the taxes on export duties and freight moved by privately owned railways and ships. 628:

to 20,040 tons. Germaniawerft submitted a modified version of this design later in the year which increased the ships' displacement to 20,700 tons and substituted eight 343 mm (13.5 inch) L/45 guns mounted in two quadruple turrets which were better protected than the four double turrets in the Project No. 753 proposal. This design was not accepted, however.

520:(23,148 short tons; 21,000 t), possessing a speed of 21 knots (24 mph; 39 km/h), and mounting eight 340 mm (13 in) guns, sixteen 150 mm (5.9 in), and twelve 75 mm (3.0 in) guns. It was also recommended that the fleet include six 1,200 long tons (1,300 short tons; 1,200 t) "torpedo cruisers"—believed by 604:, argued that both a stronger Army and Navy were necessary, and advocated for seven battleships to be stationed in the Indies. He believed that the cost of this alternative could be managed by reducing the planned battleship force in European waters to three small ships. Other supporters of the proposal, led by the 516:

Commission argued that the Netherlands should develop a powerful fleet of warships to enforce Dutch neutrality and offer a credible defense should any nation attack the NEI or the home country itself. The Commission was very specific in its call for nine dreadnoughts, stating that they should be ships of 20,668

303:-type battleships to protect the NEI from attack and help guarantee the country's neutrality in Europe. Five of these would be based in the colony, while the other four would operate out of the Netherlands. Seven foreign companies submitted designs for the contract; naval historians believe that a 26,850- 968:

movement internationally. A Navy Bill to fund a reduced version of the Royal Commission's proposal was introduced to parliament in November 1921, but was eventually defeated by a single vote in October 1923. Renewed Dutch concerns over Japanese aggression in the late 1930s led to a proposal to build

730:

Other major proposals included the ones from Blohm & Voss and Vickers. While both included the same armament as Germania, the former design had a smaller displacement—26,055 long tons (26,473 metric tons) versus 28,033 long tons (28,483 t)—and devoted

712:

and historian Anthonie van Dijk as being the most likely to have been selected. This design envisioned 24,605 long ton ships with a length of 184 meters (604 ft), beam of 28 meters (92 ft) and draft of 9 meters (30 ft). The main armament of eight 356 mm guns was to

661:

On 13 March 1914 the Dutch Government altered the battleships' specifications to require a displacement of 25,000 tons, main armament of 356 mm (14 inch) guns, speed of 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h) and endurance of 6,000 nautical miles (6,900 mi; 11,000 km). The specified

564:

The Dutch Navy would need a significant manpower expansion of 2,800 sailors to crew all of the proposed battleships. The Commission believed that it was unlikely that sufficient Dutch citizens would volunteer, and that as a result Indonesian sailors should be recruited and trained for service in the

627:

tubes with a single stern tube and an increase in the number of rounds carried for each gun from 60 to 100 for the main armament and 100 to 150 for the medium guns. The new design also had a single funnel and a tripod mast that supported a director tower. Displacement was increased from 19,535 tons

591:

which was taking place in Europe at the time, and that competition between the major powers meant that none of them would allow another nation to occupy either the Netherlands or the NEI. The Dutch Army also opposed the development of a strong fleet in the NEI, arguing that a land force centered on

874:

There was an extensive debate over how to divide the cost of the proposed fleet between the Netherlands and NEI. The members of the Royal Commission were split on this question; while a minority preferred an equal division, the majority wanted the NEI to pay most of the costs. The public debate on

622:

Germaniawerft submitted a revised battleship design (designated Project No. 753) to the Dutch Navy on 4 March 1913, well before the Royal Commission reported back to the Government. As requested, the new design mounted its main armament in superfiring turrets. Other changes included an increase in

879:

published pamphlets which claimed that Dutch rule was seen as beneficial in the NEI, and that both white and Asian residents of the islands would be willing to pay for the ships as they were necessary to guarantee its continuation. These pamphlets also argued that the cost of the ships was modest

613:

After considering the Royal Commission's recommendations the Dutch Government decided to purchase four battleships. All the ships were to be permanently stationed in the NEI, and none would be used in European waters. The ships were larger than those proposed by the commission, however. Idenburg

560:

The requirement for nine battleships was determined by the defense needs of both the Netherlands and NEI. The Commission recommended that four battleships be active at all times in the NEI, with a fifth ship held in reserve there. The remaining four battleships would be based in the Netherlands.

913:

s campaign in support of the fleet had gained considerable momentum. In late 1913 the Government accepted an offer made by representatives of the Dutch business community to contribute 120,000 guilders towards the cost of a second battleship once parliament approved funding for the first ship.

963:

A new Royal Commission into the defense of the Netherlands and NEI was held during 1920 and 1921. This Commission did not recommend that any battleships be constructed; instead it proposed that all ships under construction as at 31 December be completed along with a further two cruisers, 12

587:, argued that building up a strong fleet would hinder Dutch neutrality by making it impossible to avoid battle with foreign fleets which passed through NEI waters en route to other destinations. Other critics of the plan believed that it would be unwise for the Netherlands to join the naval 515:

The Royal Commission handed its findings and recommendations to the government in August 1913. It concluded that international relations were deteriorating in the Pacific and there was an increased risk of the NEI becoming involved in a war between western and Asian powers. As a result, the

480:

rather than ten 305 mm (12.0 in) guns in five turrets, and two fewer 150 mm (5.9 in) medium guns. The proposed Dutch ships were 1 knot (1.9 km/h) faster and had a longer range, at the expense of lighter armor protection, similar to that used in contemporary German

1035:

Other armor specifics for the Blohm & Voss and Vickers designs included: armored transverse bulkheads: ?, ? (B&V)/150, 100 (V); citadel armor 180/180; deck armor 27, 25, 30/37, 37, 25; torpedo bulkhead 30/37; barbettes 300–75/200–120–50; casemates 180/?;

441:

would drive the ships through the water at 18 knots (21 mph; 33 km/h). One ship of this design was very close to being authorized in 1912, but it was felt by experts and the House of Representatives that the Netherlands would be better served by constructing

726:

of 250 mm amidships and 150 mm to fore and aft. Germaniawerft reserved the right to subcontract Blohm & Voss to build some of the ships and offered a delivery time for the first ship of 28 months following the date the order was made.

336:

During the early years of the 20th century, the Dutch became concerned about their ability to defend their colonial empire in the NEI from foreign aggressors. Fears of an eventual Japanese attack developed following the total defeat of the Russian

914:

Despite this, the Government continued to delay submitting a plan for the defense of the NEI to parliament, though work continued on it. The main difficulty remained the question of how to pay for the fleet. The Minister of the Colonies,

614:

opposed this decision, and unsuccessfully argued for at least a fifth battleship to be built. In October 1913 it was rumored that the Government was about to order the first ship, and that it would be paid for by a loan borne by NEI.

468:

and asked them to prepare a design for dreadnought battleships suited to the NEI. Germaniawerft submitted their design to the Royal Netherlands Navy on 25 September 1912. The proposed ships were generally similar to the German

548:

17,000,000 each year for the next 35 (until 1949), adding up to about ƒ595,000,000; this would triple the Navy's budget. The Commission recommended that the cost of the fleet be partially offset by reducing the size of the

721:

about 6 meters (20 ft) above the waterline. Their machinery would include six double-ended boilers and one single-ended boiler and three turbine sets were to drive three propeller shafts. Armor would have included a

921:

A bill setting out arrangements for funding and building the fleet was finalized in mid-July 1914. At this time the Navy had not yet settled on a final battleship design. It was planned that the first ship's

2483: 934:

led to the bill being withdrawn due to the uncertain international circumstances and the impossibility of buying battleships from foreign shipbuilders in wartime. Instead, the Government ordered three

906:

In order to avoid a confrontation over the naval budget, the Dutch Government postponed parliamentary discussions of the Royal Commission's recommendations during 1913 and early 1914. By this time

596:

would be better able to mount a prolonged resistance against a large invasion force and that reducing the size of the Army to fund the fleet would leave it unable to suppress insurrections. The

705:. It is believed that Armstrong submitted at least five different designs. As Dutch shipyards lacked the capability to build large battleships, the ships would have been constructed abroad. 2199: 385: 2336: 2301: 662:

speed was faster than normal for contemporary battleships and their belt armor protection was relatively thin. These characteristics were meant to aid the ships in fighting on the

425:

in 1912. Specifications for these ships included an armament of four 280-mm (11-inch) and ten 102-mm (4-inch) guns and three torpedo tubes and they would have been armored with a

2172: 623:

the number of 150 mm (5.9 in) guns to sixteen, a 0.5 knots (0.93 km/h) faster maximum speed, different armor protection, replacement of two of the side-launching

2322: 2206: 930:

be completed sometime in 1918. The bill was not immediately introduced into parliament, however, as Idenburg was given until 10 August to comment on it. The outbreak of the

658:

was envisioned, and designers were permitted to reduce the armor protection at ships' bow and stern to save weight for improvements to crew living conditions if necessary.

2234: 2220: 2213: 2192: 417:, while beginning plans for other ships. In addition, a submarine for the colony was approved in 1911. Four coast defense ships were projected in one of the two major 2490: 2241: 666:; with the good visibility common in that area, naval battles could—and most likely would—be fought at a longer range than would be feasible in other areas like the 2315: 2255: 2248: 2227: 2563: 2329: 2308: 2287: 2294: 2137: 2583: 2280: 2130: 328:

that month. A new royal commission into Dutch defense needs held after the war did not recommend that battleships be procured and none were ever ordered.

673:

Eleven firms or groups of firms were invited to tender to build the ships, with proposals due on 4 June 1914. Proposals were received from seven firms;

572:

One member of the Commission, the chief accountant of the Ministry of Finance, A. van Gijn, objected to the report's conclusions. He provided a note to

2578: 2568: 580: 584: 2348: 493:

turrets, and asked Germaniawerft to submit a revised design incorporating this armament, enhanced ammunition storage and other minor improvements.

698: 561:

Ships sent to the NEI would return to Europe after twelve years in the tropics and complete another eight years service before being scrapped.

1972: 360: 400:, most of which were not battle-worthy. In response to the perceived threat of Japanese attack, the Dutch laid down a coastal defense ship, 2020: 1019: 606: 1941: 1843: 422: 279: 2068: 1726: 597: 528:

to be closer to large destroyers—eight 500 long tons (560 short tons; 510 t) destroyers (a role which would be filled by the

1785: 1937: 1014:

Other armor specifics for the Germaniawerft design included (in mm; question marks denote unknown values): armored transverse

1867: 1799: 357:, which had been victorious over the Russians and was building powerful cruisers armed with 300 mm (12 in) guns. 2013: 2041: 1903: 401: 601: 2553: 2343: 2034: 1965: 1885: 1699: 1642: 171:

giving a top speed of 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h); 2,400 t (2,400 long tons; 2,600 short tons) of fuel

2558: 964:

destroyers and 16 submarines. This plan was considered unaffordable, however, especially given the strength of the

501: 650:

at least 250 mm (9.8 inches) thick and at least 300 mm (11.8 inches) over the gun turrets and

2027: 1836: 569:

between white and Indonesian sailors was to be maintained to the maximum extent practical for unit efficiency.

284:(lower house of the parliament) believed that acquiring dreadnoughts would provide a stronger defense for the 674: 573: 557:(Royal Dutch East Indies Army) as the Navy would provide a stronger defense from attack than the Army could. 465: 457:, formed on 5 June 1912. Its goal was to assess the steps needed to improve the defenses of the East Indies. 312: 1958: 551: 338: 1022:: 25, 25, 25–50 (deck above casemates, deck containing casemates, main armor deck); torpedo bulkhead: 40, 365: 1950: 1829: 447: 434: 1926: 974: 970: 1763:

van Dijk, Anthonie (1989). "The Drawingboard Battleships for the Royal Netherlands Navy. Part III".

2573: 1742:

van Dijk, Anthonie (1989). "The Drawingboard Battleships for the Royal Netherlands Navy. Part II".

1717:

van Dijk, Anthonie (1988). "The Drawingboard Battleships for the Royal Netherlands Navy. Part I.".

485:. By the time the design was proposed the Dutch authorities had decided that mounting the armament 1049:

The percentages are how much weight each component would have taken out of the final displacement.

506: 470: 28:

Three of the proposed designs: Germania's is on top, followed by Blohm & Voss' and Vickers'.

1853: 973:

for service in the NEI, but construction of these ships had not begun when the Netherlands was

915: 643: 636: 380:

in 1903; the destruction of two Russian fleets in 1905 led to fears for the security of the NEI

354: 346: 319: 294: 267: 51: 1821: 1026:

300–110 (top to bottom); turrets: ?, ?, ?; conning tower: 300, 300 (fore, aft).

2441: 2273: 2075: 371: 438: 318:

The Royal Commission's proposal led to a debate between senior officers in the Navy and the

2165: 2158: 2095: 2061: 2005: 1632: 1015: 411: 275: 218: 8: 2385: 1816: 694: 418: 2151: 994: 935: 895: 566: 2123: 2111: 2053: 1795: 1772: 1751: 1730: 1705: 1695: 1678: 1670: 1657: 1638: 682: 377: 290:(Netherlands East Indies, abbr. NEI), so a Royal Commission was formed in June 1912. 285: 353:

warships in 1905 meant that there was no credible force in the Pacific to deter the

1634:

The Art of Staying Neutral : The Netherlands in the First World War, 1914–1918

1364:

The Art of Staying Neutral : The Netherlands in the First World War, 1914–1918

461: 454: 168: 137: 266:

was originally tendered in 1912, after years of concern over the expansion of the

2475: 708:

The proposal from Germaniawerft (designated Project No. 806) is regarded by both

686: 397: 23: 958:. In both cases this occurred immediately prior to the outbreak of world wars. 453:. Further plans for coast-defense ships were shelved pending the findings of a 1690:

Sturton, Ian (1984). "Netherlands". In Gardiner, Robert; Gray, Randal (eds.).

476:, but with eight 343 mm (13.5 in) L/50 guns in four turrets mounted 2547: 1776: 1755: 1734: 1037: 678: 651: 545: 482: 350: 271: 239: 1792:

Verhandelingen van het Koninklijk Instituut voor Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde

1709: 2184: 2144: 2115: 1682: 955: 655: 533: 342: 1661: 1987: 1980: 965: 931: 927: 443: 325: 300: 259: 233: 100: 2434: 954:

Twice in its history did the Netherlands navy plan the construction of

899: 723: 670:, meaning that more shells would strike the deck rather than the belt. 647: 430: 426: 308: 263: 103: 1555: