HNLMS Groningen (1857)

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HNLMS Groningen (1857) was the lead ship of the Groningen class and one of the first Dutch warships designed to be powered by a screw propeller. Built by the private yard Fop Smit at Slikkerveer/Kinderdijk, Groningen marked a shift in the Dutch Navy away from state shipyards. Laid down in 1855, she was launched on 9 April 1857 and commissioned on 1 July 1857. She displaced about 1,457 long tons, measured 58.82 meters in length, with a beam of 10.74 meters and a draft of 5.00 meters. Her engines produced about 250 horsepower and she could reach roughly 8.25 knots. The completed ship carried no listed heavy armament and had a crew of about 185.

The decision to use private shipyards came after years of expensive state shipyards struggling to adapt to screw propulsion. Fijenoord built Groningen’s machinery, while Groningen herself was constructed with the help of Fop Smit, though there has been some confusion about the exact builder. Groningen’s first trials showed modest speed, and she soon set sail for distant service.

In late July 1857 Groningen departed Vlissingen for the Mediterranean, where William, Prince of Orange, joined part of the voyage. The ship visited multiple ports along the way, including A Coruña, Vigo Bay, and Lisbon, before heading toward the Dutch East Indies.

In the Dutch East Indies Groningen took part in several military campaigns, including the expedition against Jambi in 1858 and the Bone War in 1859. The crew faced a cholera outbreak, and the ship required repairs after beams sagged and other wear developed. In 1860–61 Groningen undertook a long voyage to Japan to carry the new Dutch consul and take part in diplomatic activities. She weathered a hurricane near Nagasaki, which damaged her rudder, and an emergency repair followed with the help of Japanese engineers. After repairs, Groningen visited Yokohama, Edo (Tokyo), Nagasaki and other ports, and participated in diplomatic exchanges with Thailand (Siam), where a treaty was signed in December 1860 and Thai officials visited the ship.

Groningen returned toward the Netherlands in 1862. By that time, concerns about the ship’s condition and the practical difficulties of operating in the East Indies led to her being prepared for decommissioning. She arrived in the Netherlands in 1862 and was declared unfit for further service in February 1863. Her short life—about five years—was noted in Parliament, with discussions about whether private shipyards could reliably build durable warships. Groningen’s fate, like that of her sister ships, underscored the challenges of early private shipyard construction and the lack of local dry-dock facilities in the East Indies.