As a great Dutch hero who died in the battle in the Java Sea, the name Karel Doorman continues to be immortalized by the Royal Dutch Navy, which was once pinned as the name of the aircraft carrier HNLMS Karel Doorman with hull number R81. Then it continued as the main warship class – the M-Class frigates (aka – Karel Doorman Class).
Not only that, the name of the largest Dutch warship today – HNLMS Karel Doorman A833, a type of multi function support ship, also bears the name of the admiral.
And there is the latest news about the HNLMS Karel Doorman A833, the largest Dutch ship with a dead weight of 27,800 tons will undergo a mid life upgrade program, where the interesting point is that a new weapon system will be installed, namely a 76 mm cannon on the bow and the installation of a Close In Weapon System. (CIWS) RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) for air defense.
Quoted from navalnews.com (24/6/2022), the Dutch Ministry of Defense calls this upgrade plan a smart maintenance plan, in which the mid-life upgrade will be divided into two periods, namely 2025 and 2032. assuming the role of this floating base not too long in the dry dock.
During the first maintenance period, Karel Doorman will receive hand-held missiles (Rolling Airframe Missile, RAM) and a 76 mm cannon for self-defense. This capability replaces the two CIWS Goalkeeper melee weapons systems. Missile RAM would be a huge improvement against air targets. Later, the HNLMS Karel Doorman A833 will receive a special radar that allows the cannon to fire radar-guided munitions against air targets. This is an additional defense upgrade against air threats.
The type of 76 mm caliber gun that will be installed is said to refer to the Leonardo 76/62 Sovraponte (or so-called Single Deck). The system on this gun combines the firing capability of the OTO Melara 76/62 mm Super Rapid Gun with DART-guided ammunition, plus the Single Deck is designed with a new installation resulting in a lighter weight.
Currently, the weapon system installed on the Karel Doorman A833 HNLMS, consists of two 30 mm CIWS Goalkeeper fast reaction cannons, two 30 mm Marlin WS cannons and four 12.7 mm heavy machine guns under remote control of the Hitrole NT.
As the largest ship in the Dutch Navy lineup, the HNLMS Karel Doorman was built at the Damen shipyard in Galati, Romania, and again this ship is the largest warship ever built in Romania. Started construction on June 7, 2011, HNLMS Karel Doorman was officially launched from the shipyard on October 17, 2012. And it was only on April 24, 2015, HNLMS Karel Doorman officially entered the service of the Dutch Navy.
This ship, which is only made by one unit, has many abilities, not only as a ship supporting amphibious operations, HNLMS Karel Doorman can also act as a tanker capable of refueling at sea through two Replenishment-At-Sea (RAS) devices, where As a tanker, Karel Doorman's HNLMS can carry 8000 m3 of fuel for ships, 1000 m3 of helicopter fuel (avtur) and 450 m3 of drinking water. In addition, the ship can carry munitions and other logistical supplies weighing up to 400 tons.
Although not equipped with a wet dock like the Landing Platform Dock (LPD), Karel Doorman's HNLMS has a 2,000-meter material transport route for containers and vehicles, both chain wheels and tires.
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| Leonardo 76/62 Sovraponte |
Similar to the aircraft carrier, this ship is also equipped with helicopter lifts and cranes with a capacity of 40 tons. In order to facilitate the mobility of vehicles in the hull, HNLMS Karel Doorman adopts the roll on/roll (RoRo) feature like a ferry. For landing purposes, HNLMS Karel Doorman is equipped with two LCVP (Landing craft vehicle personnel) landing craft units.
Given the nature of being the largest warship, HNLMS Karel Doorman also assumes the role of a base ship and sea base. This is evidenced by the availability of a very wide helicopter deck, where two CH-47 Chinook heavy transport helicopters can land simultaneously on the helipad deck.
The HNLMS Karel Doorman is equipped with an under-deck hangar, which can accommodate six medium-sized helicopters of the NH-90, AS532 Cougar, CH-47F and AH-64D Apache.
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