To counter a growing threat of Soviet submarines and aircraft shortly after WWII, the Royal Netherlands Navy ordered new ships. Classified as ASW destroyer (onderzeebootjager), but so close to contemporary destroyers in terms of specifications. Still suffering from the havoc of war the national industry managed to design and construct these ships in two classes.

Drenthe was of the more capable Type 47B series.

HNLMS Zuiderkruis (1975-2012) was the second Fast Combat Support Ship of the

Royal Netherlands Navy. Primarily intended for Replenishment At Sea (RAS=UNREP operations) fueling Nl Task Group and NATO units. As a modern design Zuiderkruis enabled a “one stop replenishment” and carried also AVCAT, fresh water and

stores/spare parts. A helicopter deck facilitated VERTREP.

Ordered by the Royal Navy in 1941 the destroyers of the 5th Emergency Flotilla became known as S-class and served as fleet and convoy escorts in World War II. In the last months of the war three were transferred to the Royal Neth. Navy for service in the Far East. HMS Serapis was renamed HNLMS Piet Hein and served in Indonesian War of Independence and saw action in the Korean War. She was sold for scrap in 1962.

The primary role of the Type 42 destroyers was providing air defense for the fleet. With their long-range sensors, the ships could also act as radar pickets, sailing ahead of a task group. HMS Southampton was the eighth ship of originally destined to be a 16-ship class, of which two have been exported to Argentina. The type 42 comprised eight Batch 1 vessels, four Batch 2 and four Batch 3 Stretched Type 42.

The six ‘Roofdier’ class ‘frigates’ were all built in the USA with MDAP funds. They were designed to escort slow coastal convoys in Channel and North Sea areas and were operated as a single squadron by the Royal Netherlands Navy. They proved useful for a number of peacetime tasks, especially fishery protection, and some were retained in this role in the North Sea until die mid-1980s.

The Van Speijk class frigates were equipped with Dutch electronics/sensors. The British Leander design was chosen to enable rapid construction to replace elderly escorts for ASW duties and NATO patrol. The ships were thoroughly modernised in the late 1970's. Between 1986-1990 all six were transferred to the Indonesian Navy.