Zr.Ms. Karel Doorman
His Majesty's Ship Karel Doorman was the largest ship of the Dutch navy. The ship was commissioned in 2015 and destroyed in 2039 by hurricane Tanya.
On the 14th of August 2039, hurricane Peter hit the Belgian coast, causing great damage. The Karel Doorman was one of many ships sent over to supply aid. On the 18th of August, the ship was on its way back to Den Helder when it came to the rescue of an adrift tanker. High waves caused the tanker to collide with the Karel Doorman. The captain ordered the ship to go to Europort, not daring to travel to its homeport Den Helder.
While the Karel Doorman was undergoing repairs in Europort, on the 19th of August the news came that hurricane Tanya had changed course and was heading towards the Netherlands. Europort's storm surge barrier, the Maeslantkering, began its closing procedure, preventing the Karel Doorman from leaving towards Den Helder. Disaster struck again when the Maeslantkering malfunctioned, not managing to completely close.
While repair attempts were underway, the captain of the Karel Doorman resigned herself to their fate. She ordered the ship be loaded with as much ballast as possible, while initiating the evacuation of the entire crew. As repair attempts failed and hurricane Tanya approached Rotterdam, on the 20th of August at 07:15, the captain gave the order to abandon ship.
Hurricane Tanya tore through the Maeslantkering and hit the Karel Doorman in the afternoon. Despite the additional ballast, the ship was tossed onto the docks, destroying several buildings. Its final resting place was thirty-five metres away from the water. Investigators later suggested that without the additional ballast, the ship may very well have ended up in a residential area.
Salvage operations proceeded slowly initially, eventually these were abandoned due to the downfall of the country. Nowadays, the rusted wreck still lies on its side in low-standing water. It has been pillaged by Collectors time and time again, so all that is left to scavenge are the hull and walls themselves.
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