MBT 16.11.024 Submarine hunter HrMs "Friesland" - B-hunters

The Friesland-class submarine chasers, also known as B-chasers, were a series of modern destroyers designed and built in the Netherlands in the 1950s specifically for the Royal Netherlands Navy. These ships formed the backbone of the Dutch navy during the Cold War.

Friesland-class anti-submarine destroyers

(B-hunters, 1956–1980s)

General information

• Number of ships: 8

• In service: Between 1956 and 1958

• Decommissioned: Between 1977 and 1989

• Type: Destroyer escort / ASW destroyer

• Primary purpose: Anti-submarine warfare (ASW)

List of ships (with year of commissioning)

Technical specifications

• Displacement: approx. 2,800 tonnes (standard), approx. 3,300 tonnes (fully loaded)

• Length: 116 metres

• Beam: 11.6 metres

• Draught: 5.2 metres

• Propulsion: 2 steam turbines, 45,000 hp

• Speed: approx. 32 knots

• Crew: approx. 250

Armament

• 2 × twin 120 mm guns (fore and aft)

• 2 × 40 mm anti-aircraft guns (Bofors)

• Anti-submarine missile launchers (including Hedgehog, later ASW missiles)

• Torpedo tubes (for Mk 44 torpedoes, later Mk 46)

• No guided missiles (unlike later ships such as the Tromp class)

Sensors and electronics

• Radar for air and surface surveillance

• Sonar (hull-mounted) for submarine detection

• Subsequent upgrades with improved ASW equipment

Key features

• Entirely Dutch design and construction

• Based on earlier American destroyers, but adapted to Dutch requirements

• Equipped for squadron escort and independent operations

• Robust, reliable, and suitable for long patrols

Operational deployment

• NATO exercises and fleet formations

• Patrols and escorts during the Cold War

• Participation in decolonisation conflicts, including Dutch New Guinea

• Humanitarian missions and diplomatic flag-flying

End of service

• Replaced from the late 1970s onwards by Kortenaer-class frigates

• Some ships sold to Peru, including:

  • HNLMS Drenthe → BAP Guise

  • HNLMS Overijssel → BAP Villar

Historical significance

• Last generation of Dutch destroyers

• Symbolised the maritime reconstruction following the Second World War

• Played a key role in the Netherlands’ contribution to NATO naval forces

Specifications: