Netherlands Protected Cruiser Gelderland

Launched in 1898, HMNLS Gelderland was a Holland-Class protected cruiser of the Royal Netherlands Navy. During the First World War, Gelderland enforced Dutch neutrality by patrolling the nation’s coastline. On 14 March 1917, an explosion killed one man, while injuring nine others. After the war, she became an artillery training ship for the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Gelderland was seized by the invading Germans in 1940 and remained laid up at Den Helder from 14 May 1940 until August 1941, when she was taken in hand at the Van der Giessen de Noord shipyard at Krimpen aan den IJssel to be rebuilt as an anti-aircraft cruiser (“Flakschiff”). Work was completed in December 1943, and Gelderland commissioned in the German Kriegsmarine under the new name of Niobe on 1 March 1944.

Niobe was moved to Kotka to strengthen the air defences of the city in 1944. At the same time, the Russians were searching for the Finnish coastal defence ship Väinämöinen. Upon finding a large ship at Kotka, it was assumed to be the ship they were looking for. A large air raid was launched, which resulted in the sinking of Niobe. The wreck was raised in June 1953 and scrapped.