HNLMS Orkaan (A837)

Orkaan
History
Netherlands
Name	Orkaan
Operator	Royal Netherlands Navy
Builder	Gebr. Fikkers, Martenshoek
Laid down	1948
Launched	27 January 1949
Commissioned	7 November 1949
Decommissioned	23 May 1961
Identification	IMO number: 5402887
General characteristics [1]
Type	Tugboat
Displacement	238 t (234 long tons)
Length	28.60 m (93 ft 10 in)
Beam	6.60 m (21 ft 8 in)
Draught	3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
Propulsion	1,200 hp (890 kW) 1 x MAN diesel engine
Speed	12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph)
Armament	1 x 20 mm machine guns

HNLMS Orkaan (A837) was a tugboat of the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN).[2] She served in the RNN between 1949 and 1961.[1] It was at the time the largest tugboat to be built in the Netherlands for the RNN.[3]

Design and construction

Orkaan was laid down in 1948 and launched on 27 January 1949 at the shipyard of Gebr. Fikkers in Martenshoek, Groningen.[1][4] She was commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy on 7 November 1949.[1]

The boat was equipped with a 1200 horse power MAN diesel engine.[5] This made it possible to reach a speed of up to 12 knots.[6]

Service history

Besides acting as tugboat the Orkaan could also be used as salvage ship when necessary and was equipped with firefighting equipment.[2][7]

In 1954 Orkaan helped tow the light ship Terschellingerbank to Rotterdam after it collided with a ship.[8]

In 1961 Orkaan was sold.[9][10]

Notes

Citations

1. van Amstel (1991), p. 108.
2. "Sleepboot voor Kon. Marine". De Telegraaf (in Dutch). 9 November 1949.
3. "Captioned image". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 21 September 1949.
4. "Zeesleepboot voor de K.M." Trouw (in Dutch). 21 January 1949.
5. "Moeilijkheden voor motorsleepboot Orkaan". Nieuwsblad van het Noorden (in Dutch). 15 September 1949.
6. "Zeesleepboot voor de Marine". Bredasche Courant (in Dutch). 20 January 1949.
7. "Moderne sleepboot voor de Marine". Overijsselsch Dagblad (in Dutch). 9 November 1949.
8. "Bij mist lichtship Terschellingerbank aangevaren". Het Parool (in Dutch). 1 June 1954.
9. "Marine doet drie schepen van de hand". Algemeen Handelsblad (in Dutch). 25 July 1961.
10. "Marine houdt ook opruiming: „Piet Hein" verdwijnt". Trouw (in Dutch). 25 July 1961.

References

• van Amstel, W.H.E. (1991). De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine vanaf 1945 (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-997-6.