Gerard Callenburgh class destroyer
Isaac Sweers, underway in 1942
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| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Gerard Callenburgh class |
| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Admiralen class |
| Succeeded by: | Holland class |
| Built: | 1937–1940 |
| In commission: | 1941–1944 |
| Planned: | 4 |
| Completed: | 2 |
| Lost: | 2 |
| General characteristics As designed (see text) | |
| Type: | Destroyer |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: | 107 m (351 ft 1 in) |
| Beam: | 10.6 m (34 ft 9 in) |
| Draft: | 2.8 m (9 ft 2 in) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 37.5 kn (69.5 km/h) |
| Range: | 3,200 nmi (5,900 km) at 15 kn (28 km/h) |
| Complement: | 158 |
| Armament: |
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The Gerard Callenburgh class were a group of four destroyers ordered for the Royal Netherlands Navy just before World War II. Two ships were completed - Gerard Callenburgh by the Germans after being captured and Isaac Sweers in Britain after being evacuated as the Netherlands fell to the Nazis.
These ships were larger than the preceding Admiralen-class destroyers. As those ships were outclassed by contemporary Japanese destroyers, the armament was increased to 5 guns with twin mounts in 'A' and 'Y' positions and a single gun in 'X' position. The torpedo outfit was also increased to two quadruple tubes. Isaac Sweers was completed in a British yard, with British armament and fire control equipment. She was fitted out with six 4 inch guns arranged in double turrets, four 40mm Bofors and eight 0.5 in machine guns, as well as the customary eight torpedo tubes.
Only two ships were ever completed. Tjerk Hiddes was launched prior to the invasion, but was scuttled at Rotterdam to prevent her from falling into German hands. The Germans raised her, but found it impossible to repair her, so the wreckage was scrapped. Philips Van Almonde was demolished on the slipway after several attempts to launch her to be sailed to England had failed.
Gerard Callenburgh was also scuttled, but the Germans were able to salvage her. She was subsequently completed by Blohm & Voss, retaining most of the Dutch armament and equipment, and was commissioned as ZH1 on 11 October 1942. She spent most of her career on trials in the Baltic but was transferred to Western France via the English Channel in November 1943. She was one of the German ships sent to intercept the Operation Neptune invasion armada, but they were themselves engaged by a squadron consisting of HMS Tartar, HMS Ashanti, HMS Eskimo, HMS Javelin, HMCS Haida, HMCS Huron and ORP Błyskawica). ZH1 was torpedoed and badly damaged by Ashanti on 9 June 1944, and was scuttled with the loss of 33 men.
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