Jacob Van Heemskerck-class

Summary

Description

The Jacob Van Heemskerck-class frigate served as an air defence platform within the Royal Netherlands Navy. This class was an offshoot of the Kortenaer class, specifically designed with enhanced anti-air capabilities and equipped to replace the helicopter facilities with a more robust missile defense system. The class was comprised of two ships, which were eventually transferred to the Chilean Navy in 2005.

The class emerged from a broader plan by the Royal Netherlands Navy in the 1970s to develop a 'Standard' frigate with common design and technology features, sharing the same hull and machinery but diversified into anti-submarine and anti-aircraft variants. Two ships initially meant to be Kortenaer-class anti-submarine frigates were converted to the air defence 'L' class during construction, after two Kortenaer-class ships were sold to Greece.

The vessels boast a flush-decked hull with propulsion provided by a Combined gas and gas (COGAG) setup, utilizing Rolls-Royce engines capable of propelling the ships to a speed of 30 knots. Recognizable by its lack of the forward-mounted OTO Melara 76 mm gun present on the Kortenaers, the class was armed with a Mk 13 missile launcher for SM-1 medium-range SAMs, an eight-round Mk 29 NATO Sea Sparrow launcher, a Goalkeeper close-in weapon system, Harpoon anti-ship missiles, and Mark 46 torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare.

For target acquisition and tracking, the ships were initially equipped with Signaal LW-08 and DA-05 radars, two STIR-240 director radars for the Standard missiles, and a STIR-180 for the Sea Sparrows, in addition to a PHS-36 hull sonar. Later modernizations saw the DA-05 radar being replaced by the new SMART tracking radar, enhancing the vessels' operational capabilities.

Technical specifications