&sq=&lang=&file=File:Hr.Ms._Jacob_van_Heemskerck_(C803)_(2158_003191).jpg) Jacob van Heemskerck in 1950
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| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Jacob van Heemskerck |
| Namesake | Jacob van Heemskerk |
| Builder | Nederlandsche Scheepsbouw Mij., Amsterdam; completed in British yard |
| Laid down | 31 October 1938 |
| Launched | 16 September 1939 |
| Completed | 10 May 1940 |
| Commissioned | 16 September 1939 |
| Decommissioned | 20 November 1969 |
| Stricken | 27 February 1970 |
| Fate | Sold for scrap, 23 June 1970 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Tromp-class light cruiser |
| Displacement | 4,150 t (4,084 long tons) standard 4,860 t (4,783 long tons) full load |
| Length | 132 m (433 ft 1 in) |
| Beam | 12.4 m (40 ft 8 in) |
| Draught | 4.3 m (14 ft 1 in) |
| Propulsion |
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| Speed | 33 knots (38 mph; 61 km/h) |
| Complement | 393 or 420 |
| Armament |
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| Armour |
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HNLMS Jacob van Heemskerck[a] was the second and last of the Tromp-class destroyer leaders of the Royal Netherlands Navy, named after Admiral Jacob van Heemskerk (1567–1607).
Originally designated as a flotilla leader and a torpedo cruiser in Decker's Fleet Plan of 1931, she was hastily commissioned on 10 May 1940, when Germany invaded the Netherlands. However, as she was not armed she escaped to the United Kingdom, where she was refitted as an air defence cruiser, since these were the only type of gun available, and there was a growing need for this type of ship to protect the convoys. During the Second World War the crew felt that their ship was blessed and gave her the nickname Oude Jacob (Old Jacob). She received the reputation for proficiency, and not a single convoy ship would be lost when she was on duty.
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