Johan Maurits van Nassau first fought German aircraft near Schiermonnikoog and then received shore-bombardment tasks during the defense of the Netherlands. On 14 May 1940 she silenced a German 88 mm battery at roughly 18 kilometers, with her fire-control system maintaining accuracy despite repeated air attack. She was later ordered to evacuate as Dutch resistance collapsed, but German aircraft struck the convoy and fatally damaged her. Unlike the lightly built river craft, she carried three 150 mm guns, anti-aircraft weapons, armor on her deck, conning tower, and turrets, and even a floatplane. The case shows how widely the gunboat label could stretch, from shallow-draft patrol vessels to a heavily armed coastal combatant.
Notable Point · 1:14:16-1:17:22
Johan Maurits van Nassau in the defense of the Netherlands
The large Dutch gunboat combines accurate coastal bombardment, limited armor, and heavy guns before German aircraft sink her during the 1940 evacuation.