Tromp-class cruisers

The cruisers of the Tromp-class, although termed "flotilla leaders", were the last additions of importance to the surface fleet before the outbreak of the second world war. The very different careers of the Tromp and her sister Jacob van Heemskerck caused their ultimate armament etc. to be very different, the former retaining her original armament, whereas the Heemskerck was completely rebuilt in the United Kingdom during 1940/1941. Both were however lucky to survive the war.
Tromp just before launch, May 24, 1937. (Collection Tjebbe Bloemen)
Tromp in the water for the first time on May 24, 1937 (Collection Tjebbe Bloemen)
Tromp being towed away by tugboats after launch on May 24, 1937 (Collection Tjebbe Bloemen)
Click to enlarge Tromp during her first day of trials on the North sea, March 28, 1938. (Collection J. Klootwijk)
Click to enlarge Tromp at sea, most likely before the war. Note the floatplane amidships. (Collection O. van Hoften)
Aft guncrew of Tromp carrying propellant charges during an exercise on the North sea. (Collection J. Klootwijk)
Peace time photo of Tromp's port quarter (Collection O. van Hoften)
Click to enlarge Tromp in Den Helder, the Netherlands, 1938 or 1939. In the background the accommodation ship Koningin Emma der Nederlanden (Collection M.R. Lagewaard)
Click to enlarge Tromp entering Den Helder on August 24, 1938 for the first time in her career. In the background the cruiser Java, in the foreground a small part of the bow of accommodation ship Koningin Emma der Nederlanden can be seen. (Collection O. van Hoften)

(Thanks to Mr. J. Klootwijk for correcting the biline to this photo.)
Tromp at high speed, probably in the Netherlands East Indies (Collection J. Klootwijk)
Fokker C-11W floatplane with registration W.6 of Tromp (Collection J. Klootwijk)
Click to enlarge Tromp refueling from an American oiler during the invasion of Balikpapan, June 1945. Note the many radar sets visible on top of the 40 mm guns and superstructure. (Collection Gerard Horneman)
Click to enlarge Tromp late during the war, about ready to berth, date and place unknown (probably Fremantle). Note the simple Royal Navy type camouflage pattern and the modified bridge. (Collection Saxon Fogarty, via Kevin Locke)

April 25, 2010. If this photo was taken at Fremantle, then the only option is the period between March 29 and March 31, 1946. A clue for this is the Fire Control radar Mod. 3 (US Navy) on the bridge. This radar was fitted in Sydney in August, 1945. After August 1945, Tromp visited Fremantle only between March 29-31, 1946. The cruiser then sailed for the Netherlands and never returned to Asia. (Thanks to Rob Burgerhout for the additional information)
Click to enlarge Tromp at the quay. This photo is probably from the same series as the previous one, and shows the aft part of the ship in detail. (Collection Saxon Fogarty, via Kevin Locke)
Tromp with NATO-pennant C.804, which was carried between 1950 and 1955. (Collection webmaster)
Postwar photo of Tromp, date and place unknown. (Collection webmaster)
British battleship HMS Warspite with the Eastern Fleet. In the left background, the Heemskerck. The tripod mast suggests the photo was taken about 1942 (Collection webmaster, original image from the National Maritime Museum)
Click to enlarge Jacob van Heemskerck at anchor, date and place unknown. The background and the camouflage pattern suggests the Far East, maybe the Netherlands East Indies postwar. (Collection webmaster)
Click to enlarge Jacob van Heemskerck in Fremantle, Australia after the war. Note the extensive radar suit. (Collection Saxon Fogarty, via Kevin Locke)

May 1, 2010 Added photo of Tromp postwar.
April 25, 2010 Updated one of the photo captions.
August 12, 2008 Added three photos of Tromp being launched

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