Van Speijk

In 1938, against the backdrop of international tensions, the Dutch Ministry of Defense decided to reinforce its Navy. The projects that appeared in 1939 were, in most respects, similar to the project of German warship Scharnhorst. For economic reasons, it was decided to reduce the size of the new ship. The government was inclined to pursue a project to build a 16,000-ton cruiser capable of running at 33 knots and carrying a main battery of 240 or 280 mm guns. In the end, however, to ensure sufficient armor protection, they had to make do with a smaller caliber of 203 mm. If the project had been pursued further, the ship could well have received reinforced AA defenses by the end of World War II.