HNLMS De Ruyter (F804)

HNLMS De Ruyter (Dutch: Zr. Ms. De Ruyter) is a De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy. She was laid down in 2000, launched in 2002, and commissioned in 2004, the third ship of her class to enter service. The frigate is named after Dutch admiral Michiel de Ruyter (1607–1676).[1]

For other ships with the same name, see HNLMS De Ruyter.
History
Netherlands
Name: De Ruyter
Namesake: Michiel de Ruyter
Laid down: 1 September 2000
Launched: 13 April 2002
Commissioned: March 2004
Identification:
General characteristics
Class and type: De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate
Displacement: 6,050 tonnes (full load)
Length: 144.24 m
Beam: 18.80 m
Draft: 5.18 m
Propulsion:
Speed: 30 knots
Complement: 174 (227 incl. command staff)
Sensors and
processing systems:
  • Thales Nederland SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar
  • Thales Nederland APAR air and surface search, tracking and guidance radar (I band)
  • DECCA NAV navigation radar
  • Thales Nederland Scout (Low Probability of Intercept)surface search/navigation radar
  • Thales Nederland Sirius IRST long-range infrared surveillance and tracking system
  • Thales Nederland Mirador optical surveillance and tracking system
  • Atlas Elektronik DSQS-24C hull-mounted sonar
  • MK XII IFF system
Armament:
Aircraft carried: 1 x NH-90 helicopter

Service history

Standing Group flagship

From 2005 until 2007 De Ruyter was commanded by Rob Bauer, during which period she was deployed to the Mediterranean as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 as part of the NATO Response Force in Operation Active Endeavour. In late 2006, Bauer was deployed to Bahrain for five months as Deputy Commander of Combined Task Force 150 in Operation Enduring Freedom.[2] From 12 January 2007 to July 2009 De Ruyter was commanded by Commander Jeanette Morang, the first woman to command a frigate of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[3][4] Commander Harold Liebregs was HNLMS De Ruyter's commanding officer from December 2012.[5]

In September and October 2007, satellite television channels in Israel were plagued with signal disruptions, with the north of the country particularly badly affected. Eventually the Ministry of Defense intervened, and with the help of the Israel Defense Forces and Israeli Sea Corps, discovered that the problems had been caused by the radar systems of Dutch UNIFIL ships patrolling off the coast of Lebanon.[6] The Dutch vessel HNLMS De Ruyter, anchored off the coast of the Lebanon, allegedly transmitted signals onto frequencies adjacent to those used by the satellite operator.[7]

On 12 January 2012 De Ruyter sailed from her home port of Den Helder to take up the role of flagship for Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. The group, led by Dutch Commodore Ben Bekkering, was under Dutch command for the remainder of the year, beginning on 23 January when De Ruyter assumed the flagship role in the Italian port of Taranto. De Ruyter took part in maritime operations and exercises in the Mediterranean and counterpiracy operations around the Horn of Africa, before being replaced by her sister ship HNLMS Evertsen in April.[8]

Atalanta deployments

In early 2013 De Ruyter deployed with Operation Atalanta, the EU's anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa. On 19 February De Ruyter was tasked to locate a group of suspected pirate skiffs reported by a Panamanian merchant ship.[9] De Ruyter located two skiffs 200 nautical miles north east of Eyl, which split up when approached. One was stopped and detained by the De Ruyter, the other was apprehended by the Spanish frigate Méndez Núñez. Nine suspected pirates were then detained aboard the De Ruyter.[9] The suspected pirates were transferred to authorities in the Seychelles on 25 February for prosecution.[10] On 27 March De Ruyter's NH-90 helicopter carried out a series of exercises involving landing on the Spanish patrol vessel Rayo, the "first helicopter from another Operation Atalanta unit to land on the Spanish warship".[11]

On 9 April 2013 De Ruyter hosted Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Defence Minister Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, and the Chief of Defence General Tom Middendorp on an official visit while De Ruyter was operating off the Somali coast.[12]

Exercises and groups

De Ruyter served as the flagship for the maritime component of the NATO exercise "Steadfast Jazz 2013", which took place in the Baltic Sea in October and November 2013.[13] In September 2016 she became flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea, replacing the German frigate Karlsruhe in the role.[14] De Ruyter was in turn replaced in December 2016 by the German frigate Sachsen.[15] De Ruyter was then involved in Exercise Formidable Shield off the Scottish coast in 2017. De Ruyter was tasked with providing data from her Thales Nederland SMART-L long-range air and surface surveillance radar to a US destroyer launching a SM-3 missile against a ballistic missile target.[16]

On 3 July 2018 De Ruyter once again became the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, taking over from the Royal Navy's HMS Duncan, with Dutch Commodore Boudewijn G.F.M. Boots succeeding British Commodore Mike Utley.[17] In September 2018 De Ruyter and Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 took part in the Hellenic Navy's biennial multinational naval Exercise Naias 2018.[18]

25 October 2018, the frigate is scheduled to take part in the NATO exercise Trident Juncture which is held in and around Norway in 2018.[19]

Between the 7th-8 February 2020, the vessel participated in a joint training operation with the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta which involved various scenarios at sea. She was joined by the Maltese Patrol Vessel P62. The onboard NH90 was joined in the air by the Maltese AW139.[20]

References
  1. "Naam & embleem" (in Dutch). Royal Netherlands Navy. Archived from the original on 2012-03-18. Retrieved 2011-03-11.
  2. "Curriculum Vitae Chief of Defence Admiral Rob Bauer". defensie.nl. 2017-10-16. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  3. "Jeanette Morang eerste vrouwelijke fregatcommandant". Maritiem Nederland (in Dutch). Beta Publishers. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  4. "KLTZ Jeanette Morang krijgt bevel over Hr. Ms. De Ruyter" (in Dutch). Netherlands Department of Defense. Archived from the original on 2016-12-21. Retrieved 21 December 2016.
  5. "Commandant" (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 2013-11-04. Retrieved 2013-03-02.
  6. A nation steps up to rescue yes Haaretz
  7. https://www.broadbandtvnews.com/2007/10/16/yes-to-restore-confidence-with-free-premium-offer/
  8. Naval Today (19 January 2012). "HNLMS De Ruyter to Serve as Flagship for SNMG1". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  9. EUNAVFOR Somalia (20 February 2013). "Dutch EU Naval Force Frigate De Ruyter Apprehends Nine Suspected Pirates (update)". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  10. EUNAVFOR Somalia (28 February 2013). "Dutch Nine Suspected Pirates Transferred To Seychelles By Dutch EU Naval Force Frigate De Ruyter". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  11. EUNAVFOR Somalia (28 March 2013). "Dutch And Spanish EU Naval Force Warships Conduct Helicopter Exercise". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  12. EUNAVFOR Somalia (9 April 2013). "Dutch Prime Minister, Defence Minister and Chief Of Defence Visit Dutch Frigate Deployed With The EU Naval Force". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  13. Naval Today (23 October 2013). "Poland: Maritime Component of Exercise Stead Fast Jazz 2013". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  14. Naval Today (1 August 2016). "Dutch air defense and command frigate to lead NATO Aegean Sea mission". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  15. Naval Today (8 December 2016). "German frigate Sachsen becomes NATO SNMG2 flagship". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  16. Naval Today (25 September 2017). "Ballistic missile defense exercise begins off Scotland". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  17. George Allison (3 July 2018). "Royal Navy hands over Command of SNMG2 to the Netherlands". UK Defence Journal. Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  18. Naval Today (25 September 2018). "Hellennic Navy-hosted exercise NAIAS 2018 concludes in Aegean Sea". Retrieved 18 October 2018.
  19. "Wat legt Nederland op de mat tijdens Trident Juncture?". Defensie.nl. 12 October 2018. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 21 October 2018.
  20. https://www.instagram.com/p/B8gjPnZHTB3/
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