Were Dutch light cruisers and destroyers poor ships?

Were Dutch light cruisers and destroyers poor ships?

No. They were capable and suited to Dutch service, but tight budgets left too few of them while land defence competed for the same resources.

Dutch light cruisers and destroyers were capable ships suited to their intended service. Isaac Sweers, which fought at Cape Bon, provides a concrete destroyer example. The Dutch Navy's weakness was its limited number of ships. A small national budget also had to support land defenses, restricting what could be spent at sea.