Tekst achterflap

HNLMS De Ruyter and HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën were the last cruisers in the world to be armed solely with guns. Both ships completed service within the Royal Netherlands Navy and Peruvian Navy. The initial design, dated 15 November 1937, was never brought to fruition. After WWII, the ships were still under construction, resulting in a renewed design process. HNMLS De Ruyter was commissioned on 18 November 1953 and mainly served as flagship of a task group. On 13 February 1972, she was transferred to Peru as BAP Almirante Grau and was finally decommissioned after 64 years on 26 September 2017.

Biografie

Uwe Smit (1944) served in the Royal Netherlands Navy from 1961 to 1976 in the communications department. He served on HNMLS De Ruyter between 1966 and 1967. For many years, he has been an avid sports fan and has taken an active interest in 20th-century history, with a particular focus on maritime history.

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