 Three of the proposed designs: Germania's is on top, followed by Blohm & Voss' and Vickers'.[1]
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Operators |  Koninklijke Marine (intended) |
| Preceded by | None |
| Succeeded by | None |
| Planned | 4 (9 originally proposed) |
| Completed | 0 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Dreadnought battleship |
| Displacement |
|
| Length | 184 m (604 ft) wl[2] |
| Beam | 28 m (92 ft)[2] |
| Draft | 9 m (30 ft) maximum[2] |
| Propulsion | Three shafts; six double-ended boilers; 38,000 shp giving a top speed of 22 knots (25 mph; 41 km/h); 2,400 t (2,400 long tons; 2,600 short tons) of fuel |
| Endurance | At least 6,000 nautical miles (11,000 km)[3] |
| Complement | Approx. 860[3] |
| Armament | |
| Armor | |
| Notes | Specifications given above are for the Germania design |
A Dutch proposal to build new battleships was originally tendered in 1912, after years of concern over the expansion of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the withdrawal of allied British warships from the China Station. Only four coastal defense ships were planned, but naval experts and the Tweede Kamer (lower house of the parliament) believed that acquiring dreadnoughts would provide a stronger defense for the Nederlands-Indië (Netherlands East Indies, abbr. NEI), so a Royal Commission was formed in June 1912.
The Royal Commission reported in August 1913. It recommended that the Koninklijke Marine (Royal Netherlands Navy) acquire nine dreadnought-type battleships to protect the NEI from attack and help guarantee the country's neutrality in Europe. Five of these would be based in the colony, while the other four would operate out of the Netherlands. Seven foreign companies submitted designs for the contract; naval historians believe that a 26,850-long-ton (27,280 tonne) ship, whose design was submitted by the German firm Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft, would have been eventually selected.
The Royal Commission's proposal led to a debate between senior officers in the Navy and the Koninklijke Landmacht (Royal Netherlands Army) over how to best protect the NEI, and the question of how the cost of the ships should be split between the Netherlands and the NEI also was not settled until July 1914. After considering the recommendations, the Dutch Government decided to acquire four battleships, and a bill seeking funding for them was introduced into the Dutch parliament in August 1914. However, this was withdrawn following the outbreak of the First World War that month. A new royal commission into Dutch defense needs held after the war did not recommend that battleships be procured and none were ever ordered.