Rotterdam-class

Summary

Description

The Rotterdam class consists of two landing platform dock (LPD) ships named Rotterdam and Johan de Witt, serving the Royal Netherlands Navy with a mission to conduct amphibious warfare operations. Their primary role involves transporting the Korps Mariniers, the Netherlands Marine Corps, and they are suitably equipped with facilities to support their deployment. Both vessels have a helicopter flight deck and a well deck that can accommodate large landing craft, as well as the capacity to transport up to 33 main battle tanks.

The Rotterdam class originated from a joint project between Spain and the Netherlands that aimed to develop a common LPD to meet the naval requirements of both nations. This collaborative effort, started in the early 1990s, led to the creation of the Enforcer design, which is shared by the Rotterdam class along with Spain's Galicia class and the UK's Bay class. The Rotterdam was commissioned in 1998 while its sister ship, the Johan de Witt, followed in 2007. Both ships are stationed at the Nieuwe Haven Naval Base in Den Helder, the Netherlands.

In terms of design, these ships were conceived with the capability of transporting a marine battalion and providing offshore disembarkation and general logistic support. They feature a sizeable helicopter deck, a docking bay for large landing craft, and an Echelon II hospital facility, which includes an operating theater and intensive care units with ten beds. Additionally, there are surgical teams that can be stationed on board, and the ships possess desalination systems to convert seawater into drinking water.

Operational history highlights include Rotterdam's role as a flagship in Operation Ocean Shield, during which it disabled a suspected Somali pirate vessel in 2012 and subsequently endured an attack that resulted in damage to one of its smaller boats. More recently, in 2019, Johan de Witt alongside the vessel Snellius, provided humanitarian aid to the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian.

Technical specifications