The ram ship HNLMS Schorpioen was laid down on 8 August 1867 at the shipyard of La Société des Forges et Chantiers de la Méditerranée in La Seyne-sur-Mer near Toulon, France. Launched on 18 January 1868 and commissioned into the Royal Netherlands Navy on 18 August, Schorpioen undertook sea trials in October. Her first captain was Lieutenant-Commander Willem Karel van Gennep, who took command on 17 May 1868 and served in this capacity until 1 May 1870. Schorpioen was one of two Schorpioen-class vessels of a total of four ram ships completed for the Royal Netherlands Navy in the period 1868-1873, along with HNLMS Stier, Buffel, and Guinea. At the time, these four ships represented a significant modernisation of the Dutch naval fleet, replacing wooden ships armed with obsolete muzzle-loading smoothbore cannons. The most remarkable weapon for these new ships were their pointed ram bows, intended to damage or sink an enemy vessel by punching a hole in its hull. While the ram was an effective weapon in classical antiquity, with the Ancient Greeks launching the first ram ship in the 5th century BC, it was hopelessly outdated by the 19th century. In contrast to Schorpioen's ram bow, however, the use of iron cladding to protect her hull was a modern innovation.
The Dutch ram ships were used to defend the coast, inlets, and harbours of the Netherlands. Between 1869 and 1907, Schorpioen undertook exercises during the summer months, usually in company with sistership HNLMS Buffel. Schorpioen only ever made one foreign voyage, a short trip to next-door Belgium as part of a naval squadron sent to retrieve the remains of Dutch military personnel killed during the Belgian Revolution of 1830-1833. In 1886, Schorpioen was sunk at her dock after being accidentally rammed by a harbour tug. Raised and repaired, Schorpioen returned to service until 1908, after which she was converted into a barracks ship by the Fijenoord shipyard in Rotterdam.
As an accommodation vessel moored in Hellevoetsluis, Schorpioen housed members of the Naval Torpedo Service. In 1918, the ship was moved to the Eerste Binnenhaven (First Inland Harbour) of Veere and, in 1921, to Gorinchem, where she served as a barracks for naval trainees. Moving yet again, this time to Den Helder, Schorpioen was an accommodation ship for the Submarine and Torpedo Service. Following the May 1940 German invasion of the Netherlands, Schorpioen was seized in 1941 and towed to Hamburg to be used as an accommodation and storage ship for the supply service of the German Navy. Discovered still in Hamburg in 1947, Schorpioen was towed back to the Netherlands and repaired. In 1948, the ship was again used as a floating barracks, first in Amsterdam for students of the Royal Netherlands Navy Technical Training School, and from January 1950 in Den Helder's Willemsoord Royal Dockyard.
Between 1951 and 1971, Schorpioen served as the barracks ship for the Royal Netherlands Navy's Women's Naval Service (Marinevrouwenafdeling - MARVA) in Den Helder. To keep curious male sailors away, Schorpioen was ringed with hundreds of metres of barbed wire. Then-Princess Beatrix visited the MARVA personnel aboard Schorpioen in 1963, and Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands paid a similar visit to the ship on 28 April 1970. Schorpioen was the first Dutch naval ship commanded by a woman when MARVA Officer 2nd Class Oldest Category Maria Catherina Massizzo was appointed Commander on 4 October 1966; she served as the commanding officer of Schorpioen until 16 February 1968. From 1972 to 1980, Schorpioen housed pupils of the Princess Margriet Boarding School, a nautical training school in Den Helder. After the Princess Margriet school moved to a new building, Schorpioen was abandoned and occupied by squatters until 1 January 1982; this resulted in vandalism and the destruction of parts of the ship's interior.
In July 1982, the private Ramschip Schorpioen Foundation saved the ship from being scrapped, purchasing her from the Royal Netherlands Navy for 61,000 guilders and undertaking renovations to restore Schorpioen as a museum ship. She opened to the public on 3 July 1989 in the town of Middelburg. On 8 December 1998, the Ramschip Schorpioen Foundation transferred ownership of the vessel to the Royal Netherlands Navy and she was towed to Den Helder, arriving on the afternoon of 11 December. Berthed in Dock 2 of the former Willemsoord Royal Dockyard, on 6 July 2001, Schorpioen was commissioned by Vice-Admiral Cees van Duyvendijk as a museum ship of the Marinemuseum.
Specifications: HNLMS Schorpioen
Displacement: 2,175 metric tons
Length: 62.53 metres (195.7 feet)
Beam: 11.58 metres (39 feet)
Draught: 5.02 metres (15 feet 10 inches)
Propulsion: 4 x boilers generating steam for 2 x two-cylinder compound-expansion steam engines producing 2,225 installed horsepower, driving twin propellers; 600 square metres of sails on two tripod masts (removed early in service)
Speed: 12.8 knots (23.7 km/h; 14.8 mph)
Range: 1,910 kilometres (1,187 miles) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph)
Armament: Ram bow; 2 x 23cm (9-inch) Armstrong muzzle-loading rifled guns. Added in 1876: 2 x spar torpedo installations; 2 x 7.5cm cannons; 5 x 3.7cm cannons; 2 x 3.7cm revolver cannons; 2 x bronze mortars
Armour: 15cm (6-inch) armour belt; 30cm (12-inch) armour on conning tower; 19-25mm (0.75-1 inch) deck armour; 203-279mm (8-11 inches) armour on gun turret
Complement: 135-162 (in service); up to 316 (as an accommodation ship)
Photos taken 30 April 2026
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| HNLMS Schorpioen moored at the Marinemuseum in Den Helder. Docked in the Nette Dok (Wet Dock) of the former Royal Willemsoord Dockyard, admission to Schorpioen is included with a museum ticket. |
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| A view of Schorpioen's ram bow, which protrudes sharply outward below the waterline and was designed to puncture the hull of an enemy vessel. Ramming is a very old battle tactic, having been developed by the ancient Greeks and, later, the Romans, who developed ships with a massive bronze-sheathed beam mounted on the prow. While the Confederate ship CSS Virginia successfully rammed and sank the Union frigate USS Cumberland on 8 March 1862, during the American Civil War, by the 19th century the ram was an anachronism. Schorpioen never employed her ram but, ironically, was herself accidentally rammed and sunk while docked in 1886. |
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| As launched, Schorpioen had two tripod masts and 600 square metres of sail as auxiliary power to supplement her steam engine; however, this configuration soon proved impractical and the sailing masts were replaced by two signal masts. The ship has been restored to her 1868 appearance with the re-installation of the tall sailing masts. |
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| Schorpioen's stern features a large gilded coat of arms of the House of Orange-Nassau, the Dutch royal family. It bears the inscription Je maintiendrai (medieval French for 'I will maintain'), the motto of the House of Orange-Nassau. |
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| Looking forward from amidships on the port side of the main deck after boarding HNLMS Schorpioen. |
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| Looking aft down the starboard side of Schorpioen's main deck. A staircase leads up to the bridge. The starboard bridge wing, overhead, extends out to the side of the ship. |
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| Looking forward along the starboard main deck. |
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| Schorpioen's rotating gun turret forward of the bridge and aft of the forward mast, as seen from the starboard bridge wing. The turret measures 2.8 metres (9.2 feet) in diameter. |
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| A view inside the turret, containing the two 23cm (9-inch) Armstrong rifled muzzle-loading guns. |
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| The muzzle end of one of the 23cm (9-inch) guns inside Schorpioen's turret. |
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| Schorpioen's embossed nameplate hangs on the railings aft of the tall funnel amidships. The forward tripod mast towers over the gun turret. |
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| Looking aft from the starboard bridge wing. |
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| Looking forward along the upper deck from the stern. |
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| The bridge, comprising the steering position with the ship's wheel and a compass housed in the binnacle, and flanked by bridge wings extending out to the side of the hull. A walkway continues forward over the roof of the gun turret to the bow. |
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| The upper deck at the bow. |
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| A cabin for a member of the Royal Netherlands Navy's Women's Naval Service (Marinevrouwenafdeling - MARVA). The MARVA was established by a royal decree, signed by Queen Wilhelmina on 31 October 1944. With this decree, Dutch women began performing unarmed military service, thereby freeing up men to serve on naval ships. Members of the MARVA served on Schorpioen from 1951 to 1971. The ship, which had 20 berths, was home to 80 MARVA personnel, who slept, ate, and relaxed on Schorpioen. They awoke at 7:00am each day, followed by breakfast and an inspection to ensure that their accommodations were clean and in order. While 14 MARVAs were responsible for Schorpioen's day-to-day operations, the remainder were employed in Den Helder as telephone/telex operators, coder, writers, plotters, tailors, dental assistants, and nurses. While MARVAs who married were required to quit the service, this rule was abandoned after September 1962. |
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| The museum's café is housed aboard Schorpioen in space formerly used as living accommodations and workspace for MARVA personnel based on the ship. |
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| The officers' flats at the aft end of the middle deck, after descending from the deckhouse above. The captain's day cabin is aft. |
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| The captain's day cabin, which served as an office. It was to this cabin that the captain could retire to plot the ship's course, conduct meetings, or maintain the ship's log. The captain was responsible for all activity onboard. |
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| The pantry, part of the captain's quarters, was where the chief steward plated meals and prepared drinks for the captain and his officers. The chief steward was also responsible for washing the dishes and making tea. Everything needed for these tasks, including table linens, cutlery, and crockery, is stored in the pantry. Food was cooked in the ship's galley and brought here to be plated before being taken to the wardroom and served to the officers. The Dutch word for 'pantry' is gamelle, also used to describe a cask in which food or drinking water was stored and for the officers' 'food kitty'. |
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| The first officer's cabin. After the captain, the first officer is the next highest ranking officer and is responsible for all activity aboard ship. He serves as the captain's right-hand man. |
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| This part of Schorpioen between the officers' flats and the wardroom is now used to host meetings, parties and other functions. |
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| The wardroom, where the ship's officers took their meals and relaxed. |
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| A display of crockery of the Royal Netherlands Navy over the years. As with rank insignia and other outward displays of differences in rank and position, the navy's crockery differed according to who was using it. Green-bordered crockery, like that displayed on the top shelf, was designated for use by a commanding officer. Purple-bordered crockery, like that displayed on the bottom shelf, was used by officers. Ship's infirmaries used red-bordered crockery. |
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| Blue-bordered crockery was used only by petty officers until 1980. In that year, blue-bordered crockery was introduced for use by the entire crew. |
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| Gold-rimmed crockery like this was used by flag officers and was not standard aboard Dutch naval ships. |
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| Modern Royal Netherlands crockery uses an orange navy logo. |
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| A compartment forward of the wardroom displays crockery and cooking utensils used aboard ship, as well as displays of how food was stored. Quality food was essential for ships' crews, as it provided more energy and ensured good health. During long voyages, large quantities of food were loaded aboard. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, staple foods were dry products, such as peas, barley, rice, sugar, and coffee. Shortly before departure, fresh bread, fruit, vegetables, eggs, and meat were brought aboard. As much as possible, food supplies were replenished during stops at foreign ports. Navy recipes were never complicated during this period, as the cooks had neither the time, space, or resources to prepare exquisite meals for the crew. |
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| The supply hold was managed by the supply officer, a petty officer charged with providing food and provisions to the ship's cook and dispensing rations of Dutch gin to the sailors. In the 19th century, the Royal Netherlands Navy dispensed daily rations of Dutch gin using a dram measure. |
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| The spartan mess deck, where the sailors ate their meals, slept, and relaxed when not on duty. Life on board was usually busy and labour-intensive during Schorpioen's program of summertime exercises at sea between 1869 and 1907, but there remained opportunities for fun and relaxation. |
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| A lower deck compartment in the forward part of Schorpioen now furnished with period furniture. |
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| Period chairs and an old steamer trunk. |
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| The ship's prison cell, or brig. |
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| Schorpioen's lowest deck contains exhibit space, which in April 2026 featured a temporary exhibition entitled '1676: The last year of Michiel de Ruyter's life'. The exhibition tells the story of the events leading up to the 22 April 1676 naval battle near Mount Etna, in which famed Dutch admiral De Ruyter was seriously wounded, his death a week later, and the tributes that followed. In April 1676, De Ruyter sailed with a combined Dutch-Spanish fleet along the coast of Sicily looking for French warships. The French were attempting to secure important trading privileges along the Sicilian coast at this time, an effort which threatened Spain's economic interests. The Dutch Republic sent Michiel de Ruyter to defend the interests of its Spanish ally, as well as contest the French activity which also threatened Dutch trade interests. The Battle of Agosta was fought when the two fleets met off the coast of Sicily on 21-22 April 1676, with de Ruyter facing a stronger French fleet commanded by Admiral Abraham Duquesne. |
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| A late-19th century steam engine coupled with a dynamo generator sits in the middle of the deck occupied by the exhibition on Michiel De Ruyter's last year. Despite a lack of effective support from the Spanish and Dutch rearguards, De Ruyter led the attack against the French fleet. Fierce fighting ensued, with several French ships being damaged and many sailors killed in the exchange of cannon fire between the fleets. At around 4:30pm, De Ruyter was severely wounded by French gunfire, losing his left foot and having his right leg shattered. De Ruyter continued to give orders and inspire his crew from the bed in his cabin. After suffering for several days, De Ruyter died of wound fever on 29 April 1676. His body was embalmed and his internal organs were buried in the Bay of Syracuse. |
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| A small statue of Lieutenant-Admiral Michiel De Ruyter (1607-1676), regarded as one of the greatest naval heroes in Dutch history. He commanded the fleet of the Dutch Republic in 55 naval engagements, including 15 major battles, and was renowned for his strategic insight, experience, and personal leadership. He distinguished himself by his personal qualities, such as modesty, fairness, loyalty, and piety. Regularly convening councils of war to hear from his subordinate officers, De Ruyter inspired them with his conviction and decisive action. He modernised the fleet, ensured well-trained crews, and introduced greater standardisation in ships and armaments. His knowledge of winds, currents, and sailing manoeuvres combined with a keen understanding of the enemy earned him widespread recognition as a superior strategist. Principled and eschewing personal glory, De Ruyter maintained discipline and frugality with skill. |
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| Michiel De Ruyter's death caused widespread grief and, after heavy losses, the Dutch-Spanish fleet withdrew to Palermo to recover and undertake repairs. De Ruyter's successor, Vice-Admiral Jan de Haan, was killed on 2 June 1676 during the naval battle of Palermo and was himself replaced by Gerard Callenburgh. The French gained a tactical advantage and was lauded by French King Louis XIV. De Ruyter's body arrived in his hometown of Amsterdam on 16 February 1677 and lay in state until 18 March. Despite De Ruyter's wish that he be buried in Amsterdam's Oude Kerk (Old Church), no space was available there and, instead, a monumental tomb was erected in the city's Nieuwe Kerk (New Church). The funeral for Michiel De Ruyter, organised by the Admiralty of Amsterdam, was an impressive public and state ceremony, involving a four-hour procession through the city followed by hundred of dignitaries, sailors, family members, and Dutch citizens. At the request of his son, De Ruyter's tomb monument underwent several alterations and was not completed until 18 March 1681. Above the entrance to the burial vault is inscribed the Latin motto intaminatis Fulget Honoribus ('He shines in unstained honour'). Following his death, De Ruyter was celebrated as an exceptional strategist and a courageous leader, being honoured by foreign rulers and writers. De Ruyter's legacy remains to this day a symbol of courage, skill, and devotion to duty. |
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| The permanent exhibition on the history of HNLMS Schorpioen in the ship's lowest deck, once home to the engines and boilers. Text panels, photos, and models trace the ship's story from her launch in 1868 to her arrival in Den Helder as one of the historic ships in the collection of the Marinemuseum, the museum of the Royal Netherlands Navy. |
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| A model of HNLMS Schorpioen in her current configuration. |
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| Another view of the Schorpioen model on display in the exhibit on the ship's history. |
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| A compound-expansion steam engine on Schorpioen's lowest deck. A brass plaque on the engine indicates that it was installed at the Royal Schelde Shipyard in Vlissingen in 1915; as such, it is likely to have been installed in place of the original steam engines and used to generate onboard power when Schorpioen was used as an accommodation vessel rather than for propulsion. |
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| The steam engine has been restored using electrical power to allow visitors to make the pistons and connecting rods move after inserting a 1 euro coin in a slot. |
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| A cutaway drawing of HNLMS Schorpioen, as originally built in 1868. |
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| A diorama of HNLMS Schorpioen in drydock. |
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| Modern museum-grade displays and lighting for the exhibit on Schorpioen's history, installed in the lowest deck of the ship. |
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| The captain's living quarters were comfortably appointed, though note the tiller and chains overhead, connected to the steering position on the bridge. |
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| The captain's stateroom. Unlike the rest of the ship's crew, the captain had a private stateroom. |
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| The captain's bathroom. Unlike the rest of the ship's crew, the captain had a private bathroom. |
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| A final look at the ram ship HNLMS Schorpioen. |
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