Preliminary designs for the Dutch cruiser DeRuyter

[PT Dockyard]

Hello!

I read in both the Warship Profile #40 and Henk van Willigenburg's book "Dutch Warships of World War II" about preliminary concepts of the DeRuyter with 20cm/8" guns. I have been unable to find any drawings or images of these preliminaries. Can anyone share one or know where to look?

Thank you!

Dave G

[jwsleser]

Dave

I have looked through all my sources and haven't found any. I assume that the preliminary studies were feasibility/mission/cost studies to determine what needed to be designed. No actual sketch work but likely a spreadsheet to compare costs along with arguments on the RNN needed. All my sources indicate that the initial design was smaller than the Sumatras and was expanded when that design demonstrated the need for a larger vessel. I feel the language in Willigenburg supports this viewpoint.

What is interesting is Willigenburg states that an eight-gun arrangement was rejected as to being "politically out of the question" (page 26). I have always understood that tonnage (as a factor of size) made an eight-gun arrangement impractical. I would have like to read Willigenburg's discussion of why eight-guns was politically unacceptable. Given how the seventh gun appears crammed-in in the final design, I don't see how a twin turret could have fit.

Pista! Jeff

[PT Dockyard]

Thank you for the follow up!