Netherlands needed stronger cruisers for defence of the Dutch East Indies according to the Dutch newspaper Het nieuws van den dag voor Nederlandsch-Indië dated 25 February 1938

Dutch magazine Onze Vloot dated April 1936, drawing by L. Müller.

De Ruyter of the De Zeven Provinciën-class 1946-1947

An item reported that several experts stated that the 7.000 ton cruisers were not strong enough for the defence of the Dutch East Indies. (1) Referred was to a design once called the Ferwerda design which seemed to have been a 10.000 tons cruiser. Vickers also designed once such a cruiser for the Royal Netherlands Navy.  Dutch sailors called non-officially her “I wish we had her“.

Note

On 16 September 1933 was at Wilton-Fijenoord, Rotterdam, Netherlands de light cruiser De Ruyter laid down with a displacement of 6.442 (standard)-7.822 (full load) tons and a main armament of 7x15cm/5.9” guns. She sunk during the Battle in the Java Sea, Dutch East Indies on 28 February 1942. In 1939 were two light cruisers laid down with a full load displacement of just over the 12.000 tons of the De Zeven Provinciën or Eendracht-class, an improved version of the De Ruyter from 1933, with a main armament of 2x3&2x20-15,2cm cal 53 Bofors guns. However no of the Vickers 10.000 ton design. Ferwerda was vice admiral Hendrikus Ferwerda (1 October 1885-8 December 1942). In the 1930’s there was one study made of a  heavy cruiser resembling the Admiral Graf Spee by a Dutch naval engineer, but which never came further as theory.