HNLMS ''Utrecht'' (D817) ( nl, Hr.Ms. Utrecht) was a

destroyer In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast, manoeuvrable, long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against powerful short range attackers. They were originally developed in ...

of the . The ship was in service with the

Royal Netherlands Navy The Royal Netherlands Navy ( nl, Koninklijke Marine, links=no) is the naval force of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. During the 17th century, the navy of the Dutch Republic (1581–1795) was one of the most powerful naval forces in the world an ...

from 1957 to 1980. The destroyer was named after the Dutch province of Utrecht and was the eighteenth ship with this name. In 1980 the ship was taken out of service and sold to Peru where it was renamed ''Castilla''. The ship's radio call sign was "PAEY".

Dutch service history

HNLMS ''Utrecht'' was one of eight s and was built at the KM de Schelde in Vlissingen. The

keel laying Laying the keel or laying down is the formal recognition of the start of a ship's construction. It is often marked with a ceremony attended by dignitaries from the shipbuilding company and the ultimate owners of the ship. Keel laying is one o ...

took place on 15 February 1954 and the

launching Ceremonial ship launching involves the performance of ceremonies associated with the process of transferring a vessel to the water. It is a nautical tradition in many cultures, dating back thousands of years, to accompany the physical pro ...

on 2 June 1956. The ship was put into service on 1 October 1957. In 1959 the ship received eight torpedo tubes so it could use the British MK 20E torpedo. After a few years these were removed however, because the Dutch navy favored American torpedoes. In 1962 during the West New Guinea dispute ''Utrecht'' and the frigate engaged Proa’s and fast attack craft in the

Battle of Arafura Sea The Battle of Arafura Sea ( id, Pertempuran Laut Aru), also known as the Battle of Vlakke Hoek ( nl, Slag bij Vlakke Hoek), was a naval battle in the Vlakke Hoek Bay (Etna Bay) of the Arafura Sea in Western New Guinea on January 15, 1962, between ...

. On 1 August 1980 the vessel was decommissioned and sold to the

Peruvian Navy The Peruvian Navy ( es, link=no, Marina de Guerra del Perú, abbreviated MGP) is the branch of the Peruvian Armed Forces tasked with surveillance, patrol and defense on lakes, rivers and the Pacific Ocean up to from the Peruvian littoral. Addit ...

Peruvian service history

The ship was put into service on 6 October 1980 where the ship was renamed ''Castilla'' and decommissioned in 1990.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Utrecht Friesland-class destroyers 1956 ships Ships built in Vlissingen Destroyers of the Cold War