Aboard Hr Ms Groningen










                     D813 PACX

   End of July 1970 I reported on Hr Ms Groningen that was still in dock in Den Helder. The ship was out of service for about two years and was prepared to become operational again. She was of the same class destroyer as the Hr Ms Limburg. I went with pleasure on board and was assigned as ops room and navigators yeoman. It was not yet possible to live aboard the ship so we had a place at the naval base near the harbour. The ops room was provided with new radar monitors and plotting desks. Among the new radar monitors was the O.P.A. that you could switch to true motion and was used to direct helicopters during an ASW action. It was found out later very handy too for the mist navigation team. Also better radio connection system to the ops room was installed. I asked for a better lighting at the chart desk which I got. At that moment not much you could do as long as the technicians were all over the ship and every thing was not yet ready.


- a temporarily job at C.Z.M. -

   Already half of august as I was asked for a temporarily job at the office of Commander sea force in the Netherlands at Den Helder (C.Z.M.). It would take another 4 to 6 weeks before the ship was ready to take us aboard. At the office of C.Z.M. I had to replace a civilian that has broken his leg and used to work in the chart room. I was told that I was off during the weekends; I rather liked the idea! It was very interesting to see that side of the navy too. A lot of different departments and all you needed for your job you only had to ask for. Transport was arranged to bring me to the office vice versa. The job took till the end of September. I could have stayed longer but I rather went to the destroyer which they understood. By now I knew where the Hr Ms Groningen was going to....-:))).




   - test trips -


The official operational status of the ship was determined as soon as we could live aboard. Early October we started the first test trips, a few times interrupted for repairs or adjustments in the harbour. The engine and boiler rooms needed more time to fix every thing into a 100% status. As soon as all was fixed properly we took the ammo a board the ship that consisted of, depth charge rockets and bombs, 12 and 40 mm grenades, window rockets, hand grenades, pistols and riffles and the ammo for it. It was quit a job to get it all aboard and every one was involved in it.

The inventory for the ops room had a few new things too like a quartz chronometer instead of the old Thompson that you had to wind up every week. A new Loran reader and a new and modern edition of the North Sea Pilot, plastic rulers and better tools for the correction of charts. Also new radio head sets instead of the old heavy ones. The rest of the month we did patrol at the North Sea. During that time we tested the weapons like the depth charge rockets and bombs and the guns. Early November we went to England, Portland Bill for the FOST. (see FOST page)




Early December we came back in Den Helder. The ship was prepared for a solo trip to Norway, Bergen and Stavanger. Near Christmas we would be back to take patrols on the North Sea.....-:). At Christmas eve we anchored near the Dutch coast for a Christmas dinner. Midnight we picked up our anchor and went our way on patrol again, I was on watch in the ops room and it was my B-day, 23 years of age. A tradition aboard the ships of the Royal Netherlands navy was to offer a cake for the persons B-day, how ever the galley had been so busy with the Christmas dinner that they had no time to fix me one, no problem, the dinner was excellent. During the watch the officer on the bridge came down to the ops room and ordered cake and coffee for all. They sang to my B-day...-)). On Christmas day in the morning we entered Den Helder harbour for leave.



   January 1971 we learned that a medical officer was stationed aboard our ship. This was unusual for a destroyer so we knew something was at hand. Shortly thereafter an announcement was published that our ship should take patrol in the Caribbean for the time of nine months. We got our white uniforms and the necessary medical shots. The shots were still given with kind of a pistol like the veterinary surgeons use. The rest of the time we were very busy to prepare the ship for the tropics.
Hydrographic office send American charts for the Caribbean area. These charts were of disposable quality and were frequently published in a new edition. Also new pilots for that area arrived aboard. Almost half of February we finished the preparation and the whole crew got a leave. Two weeks later we sailed out for Curacao.

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