The Royal Netherlands Navy ceremoniously bid farewell to HNLMS Vlaardingen on 27 March. The minehunter was decommissioned after 35 years of service at the municipality of the same name. The current mine countermeasure vessels are to be replaced by new ones in the coming years, with the first to enter service at the end of 2025.
In all those years, HNLMS Vlaardingen often participated in (NATO) exercises and also cleared many explosives. Just this month, for instance, the ship defused three bombs in the North Sea. These were two 500-pound bombs and one 1000-pound bomb.
During the farewell ceremony, HNLMS Vlaardingen’s war pennant, Dutch flag and jack (geus) were lowered. The jack is the flag a ship carries by way of salute. Former commanders traditionally received a letter from the ship’s nameplate.
The last commander of HNLMS Vlaardingen Dave de Kruijff looks back on a great time on board. ‘With the decommissioning of the Vlaardingen, the mine service is taking a step towards the new ships and resources,’ he says.
The bond between the mine countermeasure vessel and the municipality of Vlaardingen is close. The ship regularly visited the town for port visits. Residents from the area could then take a look on board. On 26 March, they did so for the last time.
Also read: Dutch navy monitors North Sea infrastructure with minehunter
Clearing mines
In the North Sea, tens of thousands of mines, aircraft bombs and other ammunition remnants are estimated to remain there. Every week, fishermen and others find World War I and II explosives off the coast of the Netherlands and Belgium. They are retrieved, marked and reported to the coast guard. A minehunter then defuses the explosive.
The Dutch navy cooperates with the Belgian navy in mine-proofing the sea, coastal waters and port estuaries. This partnership is called Beneficial Cooperation.
Also read: First new Dutch Mine Countermeasure Vessel hits the water
Vlissingen
The first new mine-countermeasure vessel HNLMS Vlissingen is under construction and was launched last year in Concarneau, France. The ship will be handed over to the Royal Netherlands Navy in late 2025.
The Vlaardingen will be donated to Ukraine. When exactly is not yet known.
Picture: The Dutch flag is being lowered on the HNLMS Vlaardingen (by Ministry of Defence).
Also read: Minehunters step up patrols after damaged subsea cables
