HNLMS Rotterdam (L800)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Rotterdam
Rotterdam
History
Netherlands
NameRotterdam
NamesakeRotterdam
Operator Royal Netherlands Navy
BuilderDamen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding
Cost$140m [1]
Laid down23 February 1996
Launched22 February 1997
Commissioned18 April 1998
HomeportDen Helder
Identification
Statusin active service
Badge
General characteristics
TypeRotterdam-class landing platform dock
Displacement
  • 12,750 t
  • 14,000 full load
Length166 metres (545 ft)
Beam27 metres (89 ft)
Draft6 metres (20 ft)
Propulsion
  • Diesel-electric system
  • 4 × Stork Wärtsilä 12SW28 diesel generators at 14.6 MW
  • 4 × Holec electric motor (two in tandem per shaft) at 12 MW
  • 2 shafts
  • bow thruster
Speed19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)
Range6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km; 6,900 mi) at 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Endurance6 weeks
Boats & landing
craft carried
4 x LCVP
Capacity90 armoured personnel carriers or 32 main battle tanks[2]
Troops611 marines
Crew128
Sensors and
processing systems
  • Thales NS100 air / surface search
  • GateKeeper Electro-optical 360° surveillance system
  • SATCOM, Link 11, JMCIS
Electronic warfare
& decoys
1 × AN/SLQ-25 Nixie torpedo decoy
Armament
Aviation facilitiesHangar for 6 x AgustaWestland Lynx or 3 x NH-90 or AS-532 Cougar helicopter and stern helicopter flight deck

HNLMS Rotterdam (Dutch: Zr.Ms. Rotterdam) is the lead ship in the Rotterdam-class landing platform dock[citation needed] of the Royal Netherlands Navy.[3] The ship is named after the Dutch city of Rotterdam.

Design[edit]

HNLMS Rotterdam was the result of a joint project between the Netherlands and Spain, which resulted in the Enforcer design. The ship is equipped with a large helicopter deck for helicopter operations and a dock for large landing craft. The ship has a complete Echelon II hospital – a step above a first aid unit, but below a fully-functional hospital[4] – including an operating theater and intensive care facilities. A surgical team can be stationed on board. The ship also has a desalination system enabling it to convert seawater into drinking water.

History[edit]

HNLMS Rotterdam was built at the Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding in Vlissingen. The keel laying took place on 23 February 1996 and the launching on 22 February 1997. The ship was put into service on 18 April 1998.[5]

The ship participated in an exercise called Floating Care in 1998. In December 1998 she transported Dutch troops to North Macedonia. In 1999 Rotterdam participated in the NATO operation Allied Harbour in Albania. She acted there as transport for Dutch marines and materials. Later that year she participated in the NATO exercise Bright Star off Egypt. In 2000 she would participate in the joint British-French-Dutch-American exercise called Deux Tricolores in the Caribbean. She later supported the Dutch-Canadian battalion for the UN mission UNMEE in Ethiopia and Eritrea. In 2001 she also participated in the NATO exercise Destined Glory off Spain. Rotterdam was sent to Liberia for the UN mission UNMIL in 2003.[6]

In October 2012, while serving as the flagship for Operation Ocean Shield, Rotterdam sank a suspected Somali pirate ship off the east coast of Africa.[7] Rotterdam came under sustained attack from shore based weapons while rescuing the crew of the sunken ship and sustained damage to one of her small boats.[8]

In August 2013 Rotterdam departed for the west coast of Africa to participate in an exercise called African Winds.[6] The ship participated in an exercise called Emerald Move held in the Mediterranean sea in 2016.[6]

In December 2014, the Netherlands Defence Materiel Organisation (DMO) announced the selection of Thales NS100 AESA radar to replace the DA08 air search radar.[9] The new radar was installed on the redesigned foremast of the ship during her 2018 Major Refit Midlife Update Programme as executed by the RNLN Dockyards organisation DMI. She rejoined the fleet in mid-2019.

Gallery[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Jaime Karremann (2016-09-08). "Zr.Ms. Rotterdam LPD" (in Dutch). marineschepen.nl. Retrieved 2018-03-26.
  2. ^ "Amfibische transportschepen" (in Dutch). Koninklijke Marine. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
  3. ^ ""Ships"". Royal Netherlands Navy. 6 April 2018. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  4. ^ "Role/Echelon 2". U Project. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  5. ^ "helis.com". Retrieved 17 August 2018.
  6. ^ a b c Jaime Karremann (2016-09-08). "Zr.Ms. Rotterdam LPD" (in Dutch). marineschepen.nl. Retrieved 2019-09-11.
  7. ^ "Dutch Warship Destroys Pirate 'Mother Ship'". ABC News. 24 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  8. ^ "Counterpiracy Flagship Comes Under Fire Off Somalia's Coast". United States Department of Defense. 25 October 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2014.
  9. ^ "Thales' NS100 radar selected by the Netherlands - Shephard Media".

External links[edit]