The "Kojaks" of the Netherlands

bezobrazov

Post subject: The "Kojaks" of the Netherlands

Posted: May 26th, 2011, 5:53 pm

Posts: 3406
Joined: July 29th, 2010, 2:20 pm

In 1973 a detective series aired in the US. A gruff, straight talking dapper lolli-pop sucking wise-guy named Telly Savalas, driving a dirt-brown Olds Cutlass through the crime-ridden streets of New York, NY. The series name was "Kojak". A year later the series premiered in a whole host of European countries at prime time (9-10pm), including the Netherlands. At the same time the Dutch navy was busy completing the first of a pair of near-revolutionary unusually large destroyers, rather modestly classified as frigates, to replace the two ageing De Zeven Provincien-class cruisers.

Evidently the CBS show struck a cord, even with its European audience, and Telly Savalas' very colorful character had acquired a loyal following. Thus, when, in Oct. 1975 the first of the Dutch air defence frigates, Hr. Ms. Tromp was publicly shown, the public instantly took fancy to her, and thanks to the over-sized SPS-01 radome adorning like a Pope's mitre her bridge, she was dubbed the "Kojak" (the character's lolli-pops, the Tootsie-Pops resembles the form of the frigate's radome!)

The ship, which was impressively armed with a Bofors twin 120mm gun mounting (removed from Hr. Ms. Gelderland) and the US manufactured Tartar SAM-system as well as ASW weapons and fully outfitted as squadron- and fleet-flagship made a tremendous impression. In fact, she was more akin in weapons' philosophy to the contemporary Soviet Kashin-type DDGs or even Kynda and Kresta-class cruisers, than any US destroyer or even less frigate. In fact, the Tromp on a displacement little more than half of that of a South Carolina-class CGN packed as much punch!

Initially, when commissioned on Oct. 3. 1975, the Tromp went to sea without its designated Harpoon SSMs. These were slow in delivery from the US, so the ship was fitted with the pads and blast shields, but sailed for almost a year without her principal ASuW armament.

Now, thanks to the outmost generosity of MihoshiK, who allowed us the use of his original hull, and in a truly excellent co-operation with one of our foremost experts in the area, acelanceloet, a new, much improved, better detailed full-hulled, starbord-port version of this famous class can be rendered at SB. All pertinent versions will soon follow, but for now I give you the Hr. Ms. Tromp as of 1975, and her sister, Hr. Ms. de Ruyter as commissioned eight months' later, in 1976:

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When the Hr. Ms. Tromp and Hr. Ms. Abraham Crijnssen made a much published visit to Malmö, in the spring of 1991 I was there visiting the ships, and especially the flagship, Tromp. So here's the version of her as of that time:

[ img ]

By the late 1990s both ships had undergone extensive modernizations and modifications. They still remained flagships, often trading places but the De Ruyter was always slightly more up-to-date than her sister. To start round off the exciting chapter of these two renowned Dutchmen we submit to you the Hr. Ms.Tromp as she appeared around 1996/97, just before she was taken in hand to have her final modification done:

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Hr. Ms. De Ruyter undewent a more extensive modernization, which also served to finally telling the two sisters very clearly apart. DR received her famous 'Dumbo ears'! These were extensions fitted to her mainmast which received the US made OE-82 sat com antenna on either side. The Tromp was initially slated for the same modification, but the money ran out and, instead she was earmarked for something else.

The DR also received two Stinger launchers beneath her bridge wings, and had some other distinguishing characteristics. Here she as she appeared during her hailed Fare-well cruise in 2000, basically circum navigating the globe and exhibiting Dutch seaman ship at its highest in different joint naval excercises as well as Dutch technological know-how at the port of call. It was a most celebrated and fitting end to the longest-serving Dutch flagship ever. (Not even the famous De Zeven Provincien, Lt. Adm. Gen. Michiel Adrianszoon de Ruyter's flagship in the late 17th c. could claim as many years as continously carrying an admiral's flag!):

[ img ]

The project for which the Hr. Ms. Tromp was slated was as a trials' ship for the newly developed SMART-L multifunction radar. As such she was taken in hand late 1997 and emerged much changed in the spring of 1998. Her principal armament, the Standard SM1 system had to yield its place for the bulky and rather crude experimental SMART-L installation. She, too, had to surrender her aftermost navigation radar due to feared interferrence with the SMART. Insted she was, finally, in that respect, brought up to the same standard as the DR, with one more commercial SatCom antenna situated on top of her hangar. However, she never received the OE-82s. This is how the Tromp appeared before being retired at the end of 1999 and soon thereafter scrapped. For a brief moment a possible sale of either one or both vessels to Indonesia were contemplated. But politics and security reasons killed that prospective.

[ img ]

_________________
My Avatar:Петр Алексеевич Безобразов (Petr Alekseevich Bezobrazov), Вице-адмирал , царская ВМФ России(1845-1906) - I sign my drawings as Ari Saarinen

Last edited by bezobrazov on June 9th, 2011, 10:44 pm, edited 10 times in total.

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The "Kojaks" of the Netherlands

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