Adder-class monitor

The Adder-class monitors were a group of six ironclad monitors built for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1870s.

Class overview
Name:	Adder class
Operators:	Royal Netherlands Navy
Preceded by:	Heiligerlee class
Succeeded by:	Draak
Completed:	6
Lost:	1
Scrapped:	5
General characteristics (as completed)
Class and type:	Adder-class monitor
Displacement:	1,555–1,585 long tons (1,580–1,610 t)
Length:	192.25–195.4 ft (58.6–59.6 m) (o/a)
Beam:	44 ft (13.4 m)
Draft:	9 ft 9 in (3.0 m)
Installed power:	560–740 ihp (420–550 kW)
Speed:	7–8 knots (13–15 km/h; 8.1–9.2 mph)
Complement:	117
Armament:	1 × twin 23 cm Armstrong RML or 1 × 28 cm A No. 1 (initially Luipaard only)
Armor:	Belt: 5.5 in (140 mm) Gun turrets: 8–11 in (203–279 mm)

Context

The Adder class monitors very much resembled the preceding Heiligerlee class. There were some small differences, but the main difference was that the Adder class got a ram, which was very popular after the Battle of Lissa.

Haai would become the first monitor to be built by a private Dutch shipyard.

Armament

Just like the preceding Heiligerlee class, the Adders were armed with two 23 cm Armstrong rifled muzzle loaders. Luipaard differed by having only a single Krupp 28 cm breechloader, known as 28 cm A No. 1.[1]

Later all ships of the class were re-armed with the 28 cm A No. 1, except Adder, which sank beforehand.

Ships

Ship	Builder[2]	Laid down	Launched[2]	Completed
HNLMS Panter	Rijkswerf, Amsterdam	25 Nov. 1869[3]	19 Oct. 1870[4]
HNLMS Hyena	Rijkswerf, Amsterdam	25 Nov. 1869[3]	22 Dec. 1870[5]
HNLMS Haai	Fijenoord, Rotterdam	May 1870	20 May 1871[6]
HNLMS Adder	Rijkswerf, Amsterdam [7]		28 Sep. 1871[7]
HNLMS Wesp	Rijkswerf, Amsterdam		28 December 1871[8]
HNLMS Luipaard	Fijenoord, Rotterdam	14 September 1875[9]	14 September 1876[10]	Sold, 6 June 1907[11]

See also

• List of ironclads

References

• Gardiner, Robert, ed. (1979). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1860–1905. Greenwich: Conway Maritime Press. ISBN 0-8317-0302-4.
• Tideman, B.J. (1880), Memoriaal van de Marine, Van Heteren Amsterdam

Notes

1. Tideman 1880, p. 2e afd p. 10-11.
2. Gardiner, p. 373
3. "Amsterdam, 26 November". N.R.C. 27 November 1869.
4. "Binnenlandsche Berigten". Nederlandsche staatscourant. 20 October 1870.
5. "Binnenlandsche Berigten". Nederlandsche staatscourant. 23 December 1870.
6. "Rotterdam, 20 Mei". Algemeen Handelsblad. 22 May 1871.
7. "Binnenland". Algemeen Handelsblad. 30 September 1871.
8. "Binnenlandsche Berigten". Nederlandsche staatscourant. 29 December 1871.
9. "Binnenland". Provinciale Overijsselsche en Zwolsche courant. 16 September 1875.
10. "Vervolg der Nieuwstijdingen". Algemeen Handelsblad. 17 September 1876.
11. "Aanbestedingen". De courant. 7 June 1907.