The flagship of a NATO maritime group is on a courtesy call to Dublin Port along with a German Navy frigate, which Afloat reported also arrived at the capital on Friday, writes Jehan Ashmore.
The Royal Netherlands Navy’s 16,500-displacement-tonne HNLMS Johan de Witt (L801), a Landing Platform Dock (LPD) amphibious warfare ship since September, is serving as the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1). The ‘Rotterdam’ class LPD is the second largest vessel of the Dutch Navy, which last month departed Den Helder to fulfill its role for two and a half months for the NATO task force operating in the Baltic Sea and around Western Europe.
Little & large: Towering above the waterline at Dublin Port are HNLMS Johan de Witt and the excursion vessel, St. Bridget, which ceased its seasonal excursions. However, this afternoon it carried out a charter cruise within the port, having earlier sailed from its winter layover berth in Dun Laoghaire Harbour Photo: Jehan Ashmore
Prior to arrival at Dublin, the German Navy’s FGS Hamburg (F220), a ‘Sachsen’-class frigate, recently took part in NATO operations. This is in response to drone incursions over Denmark as part of Operation Baltic Sentry, which aims to counter rising aerial threats in the region.
The day before their Dublin calls, both vessels were in the Irish Sea north of Anglesey, Wales, with the HNLMS Johan de Witt arriving first to the capital, docking close to the Tom Clarke (East-Link) toll bridge. Downriver, the FGS Hamburg had berthed on the south bank of the port.
With more than 170 crew members, HNLMS Johan de Witt is also a most versatile vessel; it can transport army troops along with associated vehicles and dispatch landing craft from the stern-located landing well-dock. (As pictured) are helicopters, which can also be deployed from a hangar and use two landing spots.
In this view of the aft heli-deck, one of three helicopters is visible and at the stern is the landing platform dock (LPD) Photo: Jehan Ashmore
HNLMS Johann de Witt was constructed overseas in 2007 on the banks of the Danube in Galati, Romania (likewise the Irish Lights aids to navigation vessel, ILV Granuaile). Whereas the leadship's namesake, HNLMS Rotterdam, was built in 1998 by Damen Schelde Naval Shipyards and is smaller at 12,750 displacement tonnes.
As for the largest vessel of the Dutch Navy, the accolade goes to HNLMS Karel Doorman (A833), an auxiliary replenishment logistic support vessel of 27,800 tons built by the naval division of the Dutch Damen Shipyards Group. It was commissioned in 2015, and as Afloat reported early last year, the 204 m auxiliary called to Belfast and Cork harbours.
Over the years, both amphibious platform landing dock vessels have called at Irish ports. On this latest call, HNLMS Johann de Witt will remain in port over the weekend before departing on Monday. The Dutch LPD is to set off in the morning and be followed by the German frigate at 12 noon.
