HNLMS ''Gelderland'' (D811) ( nl, Hr. Ms. Gelderland) 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 1955 to 1973. The destroyer was named after the Dutch province of
Gelderland and was the twenty-first ship with this name. In 1973 the ship was taken out of service, after which it was given a berth in
Amsterdam for the Technical Training Royal Navy (TOKM) school. During her service the ship's radio call sign was "PARY". The ship was sold for
scrapping in 1988.
History
HNLMS ''Gelderland'' was one of four s and built at the
Wilton-Fijenoord yard in
Schiedam
Schiedam () is a city and municipality in the west of the Netherlands. It is located in the Rotterdam–The Hague metropolitan area, west of Rotterdam, east of Vlaardingen, and south of Delft. In the south the city is connected with the village ...
. 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 10 March 1951 and the launching on 19 September 1953. The ship was put into service on 17 August 1955.
In 1955 she would make her first voyage to Lisbon. Afterward, she returned to her builder to correct some minor building errors. ''Gelderland'' took part in the national Navy days (Vlootweek) in 1958. In 1959 New York was visited during the festivities around the 350th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage. She was sent to Morocco after an earthquake had struck city of
Agadir in 1960. The ship was kept in reserve and laid up from 1964 until 1969.
After being
decommissioned in 1973, ''Gelderland'' was given a position as an instruction vessel on the quay of the Marine Etablissement Amsterdam for the Technical Training Royal Navy (TOKM) school.
The ship has laid at the quay between 1973 and 1988, after which it got sold to a scrap company in
Zaandam. This company
scrapped the ship in 1993.
Notes
Sources
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* Also published as
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External links
Hr. Ms. Gelderland - de onderzeebootjager D 811
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelderland
Holland-class destroyers
1953 ships
Ships built by Wilton-Fijenoord
Destroyers of the Cold War