Artillery Instruction Ship Van Kinsbergen
This sloop was meant to replace the old cruiser Gelderland in her duties to train gunners and fire control personnel for the fleet, and also to replace the sloop Johan Maurits van Nassau when the latter was in need of repair or refit in Holland. In May 1940, the ship was in the Dutch West Indies, and served with the British America and West Indies station. After the outbreak of war between the United States and Germany, submarines started to prowl the sealanes, and Van Kinsbergen was pressed into service as an escort vessel, for which she was not really suited. As such, she however served well, and survived the war.
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| Van Kinsbergen at sea in October 1944. (Collection National Archives, Washington, USA) |
| Construction details | |
| Name | Van Kinsbergen |
| Dockyard | Rotterdamsche Droogdok Mij, Rotterdam |
| Dockyard number | 201 |
| Authorized | December 10, 1936 |
| Laid down | September 11, 1937 |
| Launched | January 5, 1939 |
| Commissioned | August 24, 1939 |
| Status | Detailed history |
| Pennant nos | U-93 (WW II) K.425 (WW II) N-3 (May 1945) F-804 (Oct. 1950) A-876 (Nov. 11 1955) |
| Specifications | ||
| Displacement (standard/full) | 1760 / 2388 tons | |
| Crew | 183 (increased to 220) | |
| Dimensions | 100,2 x 11,6 x 3,4 m | |
| Armament (as completed) | 4 x 120 mm No.6 4 x 40 mm Bofors 4 x .50 MG 2 x 75 mm training guns |
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| Alterations during WW II | 2 x 40 mm Bofors removed 1 x 75 mm removed 4 x 20 mm Oerlikon added. |
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| Armament since 1951* | 2 x 105 mm HA/LA 4 x 40 mm 2 x 20 mm |
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| Radar | British Royal Navy Type 271 (surface warning) added 1942 United States Navy Type SF added 1944 |
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| ASW | 1940: | depth charge racks added |
| 1942: | 8 depthcharge mortars added new racks added for 52 depthcharges Type 128 C asdic added |
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| 1945: | 2 mouse-traps added ** | |
| * One source says this change in armament occured in 1941. Photo evidence however shows that her weaponry did not change until her reclassification to frigate. ** Mousetraps were basically racks with rockets, which could be fired to an area ahead of the ship (in the same manner as the more successful "Hedgehog"). These projectiles would sink and detonate on contact with a submarine or at a certain depth. The original Hedgehog projectiles were used, but with a slow-burning propellant. I presume Van Kinsbergen had a Mk. 22 set, which means two racks with rails for four projectiles each. |
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| Propulsion details | |
| Boilers | 2 Yarrow |
| Machinery | 2 Stork geared turbines |
| Performance | 17000 hp |
| Max speed | 25,5 knots |
| Bunkerage | 696 tons oil |
| Range | 5790 nm @ 14,5 knots 7228 nm @ 8 knots |
| Shafts | 2 |
| Related links | |
| Van Kinsbergen photo special | |
| Mk.20 and 22 "Mousetrap" (external link) | |
Last updated December 14, 2004
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