{{Short description|Dutch navy ship}} {{Other ships|HNLMS Gelderland|German cruiser Niobe}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}{{Coord|format=dms|display=title}} {{Infobox ship |section1={{Infobox ship/image |image=HNLMS. Gelderland (1897).jpg |image_caption=''Gelderland'' }}
|section2={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header= |country=Netherlands |flag={{shipboxflag|Netherlands}} |name=''Gelderland'' |namesake=Gelderland |ordered= |builder=Maatschappij voor Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord, Rotterdam |laid_down=1 November 1897 |launched=28 September 1898 |acquired= |commissioned=15 July 1900 |decommissioned=14 May 1940 |in_service= |out_of_service= |struck= |reinstated= |honours= |fate=Seized by Germany, March 1941 }}
|section3={{Infobox ship/career |hide_header=title |country=Nazi Germany |flag={{shipboxflag|Nazi Germany|naval}} |name=''Niobe'' |namesake=Niobe |ordered= |builder= |laid_down= |launched= |acquired= |commissioned=1 March 1944 |decommissioned= |in_service= |out_of_service= |struck= |reinstated= |honours= |fate=*Sunk by enemy action on 16 July 1944 *Raised and scrapped in June 1953 |notes= }}
|section4={{Infobox ship/characteristics |hide_header= |header_caption= |class={{sclass|Holland|cruiser}} |displacement=4,100 t |length={{convert|94.76|m|abbr=on}} |beam={{convert|14.76|m|abbr=on}} |draught={{convert|5.4|m|abbr=on}} |propulsion=*Two 3-cycle triple expansion engines *12 Yarrow boilers *2 shafts *10,500 PS |speed=*'''as ''Gelderland''''': {{convert|19.5|kn|abbr=on}} (1914) *'''as ''Niobe''''': {{convert|16|kn|abbr=on}} (1944) |range= |complement=397 |sensors=*'''as ''Niobe''''': *2× FlaK-Kommandogeräte (optical range finders) *1× Würzburg radar |EW= |armament=*'''as ''Gelderland''''': *2× 150 mm No.3 *6× 120 mm No.2 *6× 75 mm No.2 *8× 37 mm *4× 37 mm revolver guns *2× 75 mm *2× 75 mm mortars *'''as ''Niobe''''': *8× {{convert|10.5|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} SK C/32 *4× 40 mm Bofors L/60 *4× {{convert|2|cm|in|sp=us|abbr=on}} (4×4) Vierlinge C/38 |armour= |armor= |aircraft= |notes= }} }} '''HNLMS ''Gelderland''''' ({{langx|nl|Hr.Ms. Gelderland}}) was a {{sclass|Holland|cruiser|0}} protected cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. During its career in the Dutch Navy it was most notable for being the ship Queen Wilhelmina sent to Portuguese East Africa to transport Paul Kruger to Europe during the Second Boer War. The ship was taken over by the Germans during World War II, rebuilt as an anti-aircraft cruiser and renamed '''''Niobe'''''. Commissioned into the German navy on 1 March 1944, she was sunk in Kotka harbour in Finland on 16 July 1944.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Erich |title=Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe: 1815-1945 / 7 Landungsverbände (2): Landungsfahrzeuge i.e.S. (Teil 2), Landungsfähren, Landungsunterstützungsfahrzeuge, Transporter; Schiffe und Boote des Heeres, Schiffe und Boote der Seeflieger/Luftwaffe, K olonialfahrzeuge. |date=1990 |publisher=Bernard & Graefe |location=Koblenz |isbn=3-7637-4807-5 |pages=214–215}}</ref>
==Service history== The ship was built at the ''Maatschappij voor Scheeps- en Werktuigbouw Fijenoord'' in Rotterdam and launched on 28 September 1898.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1898">{{cite web |url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1898| title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1898|access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref> The ship was commissioned on 15 July 1900. On 22 November that year she arrived in Marseille with Paul Kruger who she had picked up in Lourenço Marques by order of the Dutch Government. After dropping Kruger off she left for the Dutch East Indies. During this trip while entering the harbor of Port Said she collided with the British steamer ''Peterson''. The collision required the ship to be repaired at Suez. On 6 January 1901 she could resume her journey and arrived three days later on 9 January in Surabaya.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1900">{{cite web |url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1900| title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1900|access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref>
On 6 July 1904 ''Gelderland'' and {{HNLMS|Utrecht|1898|2}} both ran aground near Aroes Lampoejang, South Sumatra because of incomplete maps. The ships were repaired in Surabaya and Singapore respectively.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1904">{{cite web |url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1904| title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1904|access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref>
On 17 June 1905 ''Gelderland'' and her sisters {{HNLMS|Noordbrabant|1899|2}} and ''Utrecht'' returned to the Netherlands. The journey involved stops in Tanjung Priok, Mahé, Perim, Port Said, Algiers and Tangier arriving at Den Helder on 30 August that year.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1905">{{cite web |url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1905| title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1905|access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref>
In 1908 ''Gelderland'', together with her sisters {{HNLMS|Friesland|1896|2}} and {{HNLMS|Jacob van Heemskerck|1906|2}}, was sent to patrol the Venezuelan coast during the Second Castro crisis.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1908">{{cite web|url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1908|title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1908|access-date=15 October 2012|archive-date=9 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109191410/https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7c1908}}</ref> On 12 December 1908, the Gelderland captured the Venezuelan gunboat ''Alix'' off Puerto Cabello. She and another ship the'' 23 de Mayo'' were interned in the harbor of Willemstad. With their overwhelming naval superiority, the Dutch Navy enforced a blockade on Venezuela's ports.
On 17 June 1911 ''Gelderland'' left Rotterdam for England. On board was Prince Henry of the Netherlands who traveled to the United Kingdom to attend the coronation of George V. For the last part of the journey ''Gelderland'' was escorted by four British torpedo boats.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1911">{{cite web|url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1911|title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1911|access-date=15 October 2013|archive-date=7 April 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160407034947/https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7c1911}}</ref>
''Gelderland'' was sent to Constantinople on 11 November 1912 because of rising political tension and a direct war threat. A landing party of 100 men was put ashore and took position in the legations section of the city on 18 November 1912. She was relieved by {{HNLMS|Kortenaer|1894|2}} on 30 May 1913.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1912">{{cite web |url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1912| title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1912|access-date=15 October 2013}}</ref>
While patrolling along the Dutch coast an explosion occurred on 14 March 1917, killing one man and severely wounding nine others. After returning to port the ship was taken out of service for maintenance.<ref name="scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1917">{{cite web|url=http://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7C1917|title=scheepvaartmuseum.nl :: Maritieme kalender 1917|access-date=15 October 2013|archive-date=26 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160326093023/https://www.hetscheepvaartmuseum.nl/knowledgebase/calendar%7c1917}}</ref>
After World War I she served as an artillery training ship in the Dutch navy. To facilitate this role, her two 150 mm No.3 cannons would often be swapped out with two additional 120 mm No.2 cannons, and her 75mm mortars were removed.<ref name="Mark">Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II. Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 978-90-6013-522-8.</ref>
===World War II=== The ship was retired from service in early 1940 and disarmed with her cannons being used to reinforce coastal defensive positions.<ref name="Mark"/> While still fully operational, the ship was docked near the HNLMS Hertog Hendrik which had also been retired in 1940 after serving as a battery ship. Both ships would then be seized by the Germans during their invasion of the Netherlands, and remain laid up at Den Helder from 14 May 1940 until August 1941. The ''Gelderland'' was then taken in hand at the Van der Giessen de Noord shipyard at Krimpen aan den IJssel to be rebuilt as an anti-aircraft cruiser ("Flakschiff"). Work was completed in December 1943, and ''Gelderland'' commissioned in the German ''Kriegsmarine'' under the new name of '''''Niobe''''' on 1 March 1944. thumb|left|The wreck of ''Niobe'' in Kotka During the Vyborg–Petrozavodsk Offensive of 1944 the Soviets tried to finish the Continuation War with the Finns. The Germans came to the aid of the Finns, and, among the materiel brought with them was the anti-aircraft cruiser ''Niobe'', which was ordered to strengthen the air defences of Kotka, then one of the most bombed cities in Finland. At the same time, the Soviet Union had put much emphasis on finding and sinking the Finnish coastal defence ship {{ship|Finnish coastal defence ship|Väinämöinen||2}}. Soviet aerial reconnaissance identified a large ship in Kotka harbour and the decision was taken to attack, with 132 bombers and fighters (sent by, amongst others, the 51st Mine-Torpedo Aviation Regiment of the Red Banner Baltic Fleet), on 16 July 1944. The ship was, however, ''Niobe'', and the aircraft were met with fierce resistance. An A-20 Havoc bomber was shot down, but the ship was hit and sank. The guns of the ''Niobe'' were still firing as she settled in the shallow water, after which much of her superstructure remained visible above sea level. Seventy of the crew of the ''Niobe'' died.<ref name="Niobe sinking">{{cite web|url=http://www.bellabs.ru/51/Analysis/Niobe-Vainamoinen.html |title=bellabs: Архив 51-го минно-торпедного авиаполка КБФ |publisher=Bellabs.ru |access-date=4 May 2013}}</ref>
''Niobe'' was raised in June 1953 and scrapped.
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Bibliography== *{{cite book |last1=Dodson |first1=Aidan |last2=Nottlemann |first2=Dirk |editor1-last=Jordan |editor1-first=John |title=Warship 2025 |date=2025 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing Plc |location=London |isbn=978-1-4728-6854-1 |pages=172–185 |chapter=The German Flak Ships Part II: The Former Dutch and Danish Hulls|name-list-style=amp}} * {{cite book |last1=Gröner |first1=Erich |title=Die deutschen Kriegsschiffe: 1815-1945 / 7 Landungsverbände (2): Landungsfahrzeuge i.e.S. (Teil 2), Landungsfähren, Landungsunterstützungsfahrzeuge, Transporter; Schiffe und Boote des Heeres, Schiffe und Boote der Seeflieger/Luftwaffe, K olonialfahrzeuge. |date=1990 |publisher=Bernard & Graefe |location=Koblenz |isbn=3-7637-4807-5 |pages=214–215}} *{{cite journal|last1=Johnson |first1=Harold|last2=Marshall|first2=Peter A.|title=Question 9/51: Dutch Cruiser ''Gelderland'' |journal=Warship International |date=2015 |volume=LII |issue=1 |pages=79–81 |issn=0043-0374|name-list-style=amp}} * {{cite book |last=Mulder |first=Jantinus |title=Warship 5: Protected Cruiser Gelderland |publisher=Amsterdam University Press |year=2024}} * {{cite journal|last1=Sieche|first1=Erwin F.|year=1990 |title=Austria-Hungary's Last Visit to the USA|journal=Warship International|volume=XXVII |issue=2 |pages=142–164 |issn=0043-0374}}
==External links== {{commons category|Hr.Ms. Gelderland (ship, 1900)}} {{commons category|Niobe (ship, 1900)}} *[http://www.bellabs.ru/51/Photos/_Attack.html#Niobe Niobe sinking (in Russian)] *[http://www.netherlandsnavy.nl/Gelderland.htm Gelderland page] *[http://www.german-navy.de/kriegsmarine/ships/aabattery/niobe/history.html Niobe] *[http://rafiger.de/Homepage/Artgallery/Historic02.htm Pictures and facts] * 02. Feb 2018, [https://www.err.ee/679556/maarjamae-valjakaevamistel-selgus-maetud-meremeeste-saladus Maarjamäe väljakaevamistel selgus maetud meremeeste saladus], err.ee
{{Holland class protected cruiser}} {{July 1944 shipwrecks}} {{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gelderland (1898)}} Category:Holland-class cruisers Category:1898 ships Category:Maritime incidents in July 1944 Category:Cruisers sunk by aircraft Category:Naval ships of the Netherlands captured by Germany during World War II Category:World War II shipwrecks in the Baltic Sea Category:Shipwrecks of Finland Category:Ships sunk by Soviet aircraft