HNLMS ''Isaac Sweers'' (F814) ( nl, Hr.Ms. Isaac Sweers) is a frigate of the . The ship was in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1968 to 1990. The ship's radio call sign was "PAVF". She was sold to the Indonesian Navy where the ship was renamed KRI ''Karel Satsuitubun'' (356).

Design and construction

In the early 1960s, the Royal Netherlands Navy had an urgent requirement to replace its s, obsolete ex-American escorts built during the Second World War. To meet this requirement, it chose to build a modified version of the British as its , using broadly the same armament as the original design, but where possible, substituting Dutch electronics and radars. The ''Van Speijk''s were length overall, long overall and length between perpendiculars, between perpendiculars, with a Beam (nautical), beam of and a Draft (ship), draught of . Displacement (ship), Displacement was standard and full load. Two Water-tube boiler#Babcock & Wilcox boiler, Babcock & Wilcox boilers supplied steam to two sets of Werkspoor-English Electric double reduction geared steam turbines rated at and driving two propeller shafts. This gave a speed of . A twin QF 4.5-inch Mk I – V naval gun#Variants, 4.5-inch (113 mm) Mark 6 gun mount was fitted forward. Anti-aircraft defence was provided by two quadruple Sea Cat surface-to-air missile launchers on the hangar roof. A Limbo (weapon), Limbo anti-submarine mortar was fitted aft to provide a short-range anti-submarine capability, while a hangar and helicopter deck allowed a single Westland Wasp helicopter to be operated, for longer range anti-submarine and anti-surface operations. As built, ''Isaac Sweers'' was fitted with a Signaal LW-03 long range air search radar on the ship's mainmast, with a DA02 medium range air/surface surveillance radar carried on the ship's foremast. M44 and M45 fire control radars were provided for the Seacat missiles and ships guns respectively. The ship had a sonar suite of Type 170B attack sonar and Type 162 bottom search sonar. The ship had a crew of 251.

Modifications

All six ''Van Speijk''s were modernised in the 1970s, using many of the systems used by the new s. The 4.5-inch gun was replaced by a single OTO Melara 76 mm and launchers for up to eight Harpoon (missile), Harpoon anti-ship missiles fitted (although only two were normally carried). The hangar and flight deck were enlarged, allowing a Westland Lynx helicopter to be carried, while the Limbo mortar was removed, with a pair of triple Mark 32 Surface Vessel Torpedo Tubes, Mk 32 torpedo launchers providing close-in anti-submarine armament. A Signaal DA03 radar replaced the DA02 radar and an American EDO Corporation CWE-610 sonar replaced the original British sonar. ''Isaac Sweers'' was modernised at the Den Helder naval dockyard between 1 July 1980 and 28 October 1983. ''Isaac Sweers'' and ''Evertsen'' also received AN/SQR-18A towed array sonar system. The system was removed when the ships was sold to Indonesia.

Dutch service history

An order for four ''Van Speijk''s was placed in 1962, with two more, including ''Isaac Sweers'', ordered in 1964. The ship was built at Nederlandsche Dok en Scheepsbouw Maatschappij, NDSM in Amsterdam. The keel laying took place on 5 May 1965 and the Ceremonial ship launching, launching on 10 March 1967. The ship was put into service on 15 May 1968 with the pennant number F814. In late 1972 she served as flagship for STANAVFORLANT. In 1975 ''Isaac Sweers'' participated in the NATO exercise Ocean Safari. The ship received a mid-life modernization in Den Helder, starting on 1 July 1980 and lasting till 28 October 1983. The completion of modernization was delayed by around eight months from intended due to lack of civilian labor in naval dockyards. In 1986 she was present at the national Fleet days. ''Isaac Sweers'' was Ship decommissioning, decommissioned in 1990 and along with ''Evertsen'' were sold to Indonesia. She was transferred to the Indonesian Navy on 1 November 1990.

Indonesian service history

On 13 May 1989, Indonesia and the Netherlands signed an agreement for transfer of the last two ''Van Speijk''-class ships. The ship was transferred to Indonesia on 1 November 1990 and renamed as KRI ''Karel Satsuitubun'', assigned with pennant number 356. By 2002, the ships Seacat missiles were inoperable and it was reported that propulsion problems were badly effecting the availability of the ships of this class. The ship's Seacat launchers were therefore replaced by two Simbad twin launchers for Mistral (missile), Mistral anti-aircraft missiles, and ''Karel Satsuitubun'' was re-engined with two Caterpillar Inc., Caterpillar 3612 diesel engines. As the Indonesian Navy retired Harpoon missile from its stockpiles, ''Karel Satsuitubun'' was rearmed with Chinese C-802 missiles. In December 2020, Indonesian Navy and Russian Navy conducted a joint military exercise, naval exercise of Passex (Passing Exercise) Rusindo-20. The exercise took place in the Java Sea on Thursday, 17 December 2020. Indonesian Navy sent 3 ships (KRI ''Karel Satsuitubun'', KRI Diponegoro (365), KRI ''Diponegoro'', and KRI Tombak (629), ''KRI Tombak''), while the Russian Navy sent 3 ships (Russian cruiser Varyag (1983), ''Varyag'', Russian destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, ''Admiral Panteleyev'', and Dubna-class tanker, ''Pechenga''). The exercise conducted several drills such as Maneuver Exercise, RAS approach, Flaghoist, Flashex, and Passing Exercise. ''Karel Satsuitubun'', along with , , , , , , , , , , , and were deployed in waters off Nusa Dua, Bali to patrol the area during 2022 G20 Bali summit on 15–16 November 2022.

Notes

References

* * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Isaac Sweers Van Speijk-class frigates 1967 ships Ships built in Amsterdam