We often study and report on the UK RN, Russian RFS and USN fleet reductions.
But the RNLN draw-down has been no less dramatic.
Its amazing that in 1972 the Dutch plan was to have a surface combatant fleet made up of 26 warships:
2 Tromps
1 AAW ship (Later a single standard AAW variant and even later two. The JV Heemskerck class)
6 Van Spejik class(Modernized)
12 Kortenaers(Standard class)
4 M class(Replacements for the Roofdier class. The class is now known as the Karl Doorman class)(Later a fifth was added two replace the 13th Standard.)
The Van Spejiks began to be retired ten years early(Postulating a 30 year service life.) in 1986 with for leaving service and being transferred to Indonesia with the remaining to going to Indonesia in 1989/90.
The Doorman class of four was to be ordered in 1980 but apparently this was deferred to 1987 and then brought forward to 1983. The fifth was eliminated from the plan at some point..
Then in 1986 four more were ordered.
Selling two under construction Kortenaers to Greece permitted the decision to be made to build two AAW variants of the class.
Greece acquired four more in the 1990’s along with the UAE who received two and Greece bought four more this decade for a total fleet of ten.
Chile has recently acquired the the two AAW variants of the Kortenaer/Standard class plus two K Doorman class.
Belgium and Portugal are also in the process of buying two K Doorman class ships each.
All this leaves the RNLN with only six surface combatants:
4 De Zeven Provincien class AAW ships
2 K Doorman class
My how the world has changed.
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