February 26, 2021
A little over a month after being launched, the expeditionary survey boat HNLMS Hydrograaf (H8021) was commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy. This commissioning was carried out via video call by Barbara Visser (born in 1977), who became the Dutch government’s state secretary for defense in October 2017 and served in this position until August 2021.
Along with Visser, the majority of this commissioning ceremony’s invitees attended the event via a livestream rather than in person due to COVID-19 restrictions in place at the time in the Netherlands. Hydrograaf was anchored at the Damen Group shipyards in the port town of Den Helder in the province of North Holland. As a key part of the ceremony, Visser – with the press of a button – remotely shattered a bottle of champagne against the boat. Hydrogaaf was then formally handed over to the navy.
Hydrograaf, which can accommodate up to four people, has a maximum range of 100 nautical miles (120 miles/190 kilometers) per hour. Measuring 51.5 feet (15.7 meters) in length, this vessel is equipped to collect information out at sea continuously for as long as 60 hours. Hydrograaf’s primary tasks include gathering data on soil conditions below the waterline; and performing hydrographic surveys. The boat owes her name to the Royal Netherlands Navy’s original version of HNLMS Hydrograaf, which was commissioned in 1910 and remained in operation as a survey vessel until 1962.
Photo Credit: Public Domain
For more information on HNLMS Hydrograaf (H8021), please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HNLMS_Hydrograaf
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