Ordered by the Royal Navy in 1941 the destroyers of the 5th Emergency Flotilla became known as S-class and served as fleet and convoy escorts in World War II. In the last months of the war three were transferred to the Royal Neth. Navy for service in the Far East. HMS Serapis was renamed HNLMS Piet Hein and served in Indonesian War of Independence and saw action in the Korean War. She was sold for scrap in 1962.

The primary role of the Type 42 destroyers was providing air defense for the fleet. With their long-range sensors, the ships could also act as radar pickets, sailing ahead of a task group. HMS Southampton was the eighth ship of originally destined to be a 16-ship class, of which two have been exported to Argentina. The type 42 comprised eight Batch 1 vessels, four Batch 2 and four Batch 3 Stretched Type 42.

The s.s. 'America' was an ocean liner which entered service in 1940 for the United States Lines. She was designed by the famous naval architect William Francis Gibbs. In the 54 years between her introduction and her wrecking in 1994, she had eight different owners (of which one twice) and sailed under the names of 'America' (carrying this name three different times), 'West Point', 'Australis', 'Italis', 'Noga', 'Alferdoss' and 'American Star'. She served most in passenger service as s.s. 'Ame...

The CW-21 was designed during the late 1930s. It combined light weight construction with a powerful engine, which resulted in an excellent rate of climb and manoeuvrability, allowing the fighter to quickly reach the height of attacking enemy aircraft, and attack them. The prototype was sent to China as a demonstration copy and an order for three aircraft, plus a further 32 as kits, followed. These would be assembled locally. Only the three production machines arrived in the chaos of war and w...

Ordered in 1938 to replace the aging ships on the Dutch East Indies route, her keel was laid in 1939 at De Schelde shipyard in Flushing, Netherlands, for Rotterdamsche Lloyd Interrupted by World War II and two bombing raids, the liner finally departed for her maiden voyage on 2 December 1947, as 'Willem Ruys'.

Achille Lauro was originally the liner Willem Ruys when sold to the Italian Lauro Organization in 1966. Achille Lauro left the Riuniti yards as a newborn star. After being hijacked by Palestinian warriors (PLO), in October 1985, the blue liner and cruiser made international headlines. Swept by a catastrophic fire Achille Lauro sank 2 December 1994 off the Somalian coast.

De Haarlem uit de ‘Alkmaar klasse’ verhaalt de historie van een bijzonder goede Europese samenwerking die nog steeds vaak als voorbeeld wordt aangehaald. Gebouwd van polyester en voorzien van de nieuwste Franse sonar bleken de schepen in Nederlandse dienst uitstekend te voldoen. Zo werden in 1984 de splinternieuwe Haarlem en Harlingen uitgezonden voor mijnenbestrijding in de Rode Zee. Een ommezwaai in de filosofie van zowel de politiek als de marineleiding was hiervoor nodig.

Toen twee m...

The DC-3 revolutionized air travel to an extent only surpassed by the advent of the jet aircraft. What made the DC-3 particularly special was the degree of safety it provided. Thanks to the DC-3 and its reputation for strength and reliability, in 1937 air travel insurance finally became available for the general public.

Eight decades after its first debut, the DC-3 is still flying, a tribute to the solidity of its brilliant design, and it will likely continue to fly for a long time.

HNLMS Kortenaer was in action in the Battle of the Java Sea on 27 February 1942, where she was torpedoed by the Japanese cruiser Haguro. An eyewitness, recorded that “Kortenaer about 700 yards bearing 80° relative was struck on the starboard quarter by a torpedo, blew up, turned over, and sank at once leaving only a jackknifed bow and stern a few feet above the surface.”.

The six ‘Roofdier’ class ‘frigates’ were all built in the USA with MDAP funds. They were designed to escort slow coastal convoys in Channel and North Sea areas and were operated as a single squadron by the Royal Netherlands Navy. They proved useful for a number of peacetime tasks, especially fishery protection, and some were retained in this role in the North Sea until die mid-1980s.