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 Schorpioen in Den Helder, Netherlands | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Netherlands | |
| Name | Schorpioen |
| Namesake | Scorpion |
| Builder | Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée,La Seyne-sur-Mer, France |
| Laid down | August 1867 |
| Launched | 18 January 1868 |
| Completed | 1 October 1868 |
| Commissioned | 1868 |
| Decommissioned | 1 April 1909 |
| Reclassified | As an accommodation hulk, 1 April 1909 |
| Homeport | Den Helder |
| Captured | May 1940 |
 Germany | |
| Acquired | May 1940 |
| Captured | 8 May 1945 |
| Fate | Returned to Netherlands |
| Netherlands | |
| Name | Schorpioen |
| Acquired | 8 May 1945 |
| Recommissioned | 18 May 1947 |
| Decommissioned | 1982 |
| Stricken | 1982 |
| Homeport | Den Helder |
| Identification |
|
| Status | Museum ship, 1982 |
| General characteristics (as completed) | |
| Class & type | Schorpioen-classmonitor |
| Displacement | 2,175 metric tons (2,141 long tons) |
| Length | 195.7 ft (59.65 m) (p/p) |
| Beam | 39 ft (11.9 m) |
| Draught | 15 ft 10 in (4.8 m) |
| Installed power | |
| Propulsion | 2 shafts, 2steam engines |
| Speed | 12knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) |
| Range | 1,030 nmi (1,910 km; 1,190 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) |
| Complement | 136 |
| Armament | 2 × 1 −Armstrong 9-inch (229 mm)muzzle-loading rifles |
| Armour |
|
HNLMSSchorpioen is aSchorpioen-classmonitor built in France for theRoyal Netherlands Navy in the 1860s. These new ships were equipped with heavyrifled 23 cm (9 in) guns, and a heavy armor. The hull had an armor plated belt of 15 cm (6 in) and thegun turret, housing the two guns, had almost 30 cm (12 in) of armor.
She came from the building yard with twotripod masts and able to employ about 600 m2 (6,500 sq ft) of sails, but she proved to be a difficult sailing ship and some years later the yards, masts and the sails were removed. As withBuffel her hugesteam engines gave her a maximum speed of 13knots (24 km/h; 15 mph). Her striking weapon was the pointed rambow, slightly different fromBuffel's, but she never ever used this overestimated weapon.
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As withBuffel, her record is not very impressive. In 1886Schorpioen was hit in the stern quarter by a paddle steam tugboat in the harbor ofDen Helder and sank in two hours. It was possible to raise and repair her. In 1906 she completed her role as an operational warship and was transformed into anaccommodation ship.
At the beginning ofWorld War II, she fell into German hands, was towed to Germany, and served there as a lodging - and storage ship. After the war, in 1947 she was found inHamburg, Germany and towed back to Den Helder; again to become a lodging ship, first inAmsterdam and later in Den Helder where she became the barracks for the Dutch WRNS. In 1982, afterdecommissioning, she was bought by a private foundation that was established to transform her into a floating museum inMiddelburg, in the southern part of the country. Seven years later, after a complete renovation, she opened her doors to visitors, as amuseum ship.
In 1995, theRoyal Netherlands Navy re-acquired the ship and put her under the supervision of theDutch Navy Museum in Den Helder where she is now the third, and largest, vessel on display. In May 2000, after a renovation period of eighteen months to restore her to her former glory, the ship was opened to visitors.
52°57′45″N4°46′19″E / 52.96242°N 4.77206°E /52.96242; 4.77206