Rijkswerf Willemsoord

About

Willemsoord is a large former naval base of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Den Helder. It is now connected to the city center of Den Helder, and focuses on entertainment and tourism.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it became increasingly difficult for big ships to regularly sail to the Dutch cities on the Zuiderzee. Many ships therefore anchored in the Roadstead of Texel, where a lot of transloading was done by small ships that anchored safely in the Nieuwediep. The Nieuwediep was a stretch of deep water close to the coast near what would later become Den Helder, and was well protected by a shoal.

The importance of a safe base for the Dutch navy was stressed again by the Fourth Anglo-Dutch War. The Nieuwediep was an ideal location, but not deep enough for warships and East Indies ships. In August 1781 orders were given to deepen it. In order to achieve this, many dam were constructed, which guided the ebb flow through the Nieuwediep. This would also keep the Nieuwediep at depth.

In April 1783 the depth was enough for the first armed warships to anchor in the harbor. Works continued, and in 1783-1784 60-70 loaded ships wintered in Nieuwediep, safe from ice. In the winter of 1784-1785 there were 150 ships at Nieuwediep, among them heavy merchant men laying somewhat at the bottom of the harbor. In 1785-1786 the ships of the line wintered in Nieuwediep. Still, Nieuwediep was nothing more than a harbor. It lacked facilities like stores and repair shops, that would make it a real naval base.

In 1792 a repair facility called 'Het Nieuwe Werk' was founded. It was also called the 'Kielplaats' (Dutch for careening place). It had a state of the art lock. Ships could get in at high tide, and be pulled on their side at low tide and remain so till careening was finished. This was a very sensitive project. Careening was one thing, it was often done in all kinds of places. The logical follow up would be a repair shop with stores, something that the cities on the Zuiderzee (incl. Amsterdam) vehemently opposed. Of course they feared that one thing would lead to another, first a naval base with facilities, and then commerce itself flowing to Nieuwediep.

After the Batavian Revolution the national interest somewhat prevailed over local interests. On 20 July 1795 the national committee for the navy ordered the construction of a house, three wooden storehouses, and a building suitable for a smithy. All were to be erected within the confines of the Nieuwe Werk. Note that particular interests still succeeded in limiting the buildings. However, while one can suppose that the Nieuwe Werk was delayed by local interests, the financial situation of the admiralties was dire enough to lead to inactivity.

There is a description of the Nieuwe Werk at the end of the eighteenth century. It noted the lock of the Nieuwe Werk, and that a moat ran through the terrain, enabling ships to moor against the quay of the facility they needed to visit. The initial floor plan of the Nieuwe Werk suggests bigger plans.

At the time the description refers to, a number of cranes was present to assist the ships, at the places they needed to visit. There was a storehouse for guns, warehouses for rigging, wood etc., the smithy was on an 'island'. The house for the master of the work was southeast of the lock. There were also some houses for the school teacher, the lock keeper, and some of the workers. Most of the time, there were about 9 staff, 20-40 carpenters, 6 smiths, and 10-20 stevedores. These were kind of 'locked up' in the Nieuwe Werk, because it could only be reached at ebb. At the Nieuwe Werk many small vessels like launches, jolly boats, and boats were built. This activity went against the basic interests of the Zuiderzee harbors, but it employed their workers when there was nothing to repair.

Also in 1792, some small field fortifications were made on the north side of the Nieuwediep. By 1793 there was a battery called Princes of Orange. It had 28 24-pounders and was situated on the Kaaphoofd, west of Den Helder. Between Den Helder and the Nieuwediep at the mouth of the Nieuwediep, there was a battery of 11 24-pounders called Erfprinses (later called 'Unie'). In 1793 there were also the guardship Prinses Louisa of 54 guns, the hulk Hyena with 20 18-pounders, and some gunboats.

In 1799 the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland led to the capture of Nieuwediep and the Nieuwe Werk on 29 August after both had been evacuated. By then the English found 95 guns and many supplies in the Nieuwe Werk. They also captured many ships: the ships of the line: Verwachting (66), Broederschap (55) and Hector (44); the frigates: Helder (32), Jollock (24), Minerva (24), Venus (24), Alarm (24) and the two-decks East Indies ships: Duifje (12), Expeditie (16), Constitutie (12), Schoone Antoinette (12), Unie (12) and four single-deck ships, all of them without crew. Seeing the Orange flags in Nieuwediep probably had a big influence on the Vlieter incident of 30 August. A Dutch fleet of eight ships of the line and four frigates, now separated from its base, mutinied and surrendered without firing a shot.

Main article: Fortifications of Den Helder

The Dutch authorities now realized that a fleet could only be safe in Nieuwediep if it was also protected on the land side. Already in 1803 the old village of Den Helder was fortified. The tip of the Nieuwediep (including battery De Unie) was somewhat surrounded by walls, and field fortifications were erected to protect the other coastal batteries on the land side. The Nieuwe Werk also got some guns. This was not enough to protect the base against a serious attack, but funds were limited. The light fortifications did not protect against a siege, but they did protect against a raid. In 1807 king Louis Bonaparte visited the base and also saw the potential of the position. Meanwhile, operations continued in Nieuwediep. Warehouses were restored etc. [ citation needed ]

Continued operation of the Nieuwe Werk till 1822

From 1812 till 1815, a dyke was constructed on the western side of the Nieuwediep. It connected the Nieuwe Werk to the mouth of the Nieuwediep. When the independence of the Netherlands was re-established, the base of Nieuwediep continued as one of the national naval bases. This meant that the harbor and the 'Nieuwe Werk' continued in operation while the works on Willemsoord were in execution.

Meanwhile, activity at the Nieuwe Werk expanded. First small vessels were used to house the workers, but later the old ship of the line Zoutman became a barracks ship. 65 families were housed on the upper gun deck, while single workmen were housed on the lower decks. During its heyday the Nieuwe Werk would employ up to 700 men.

The Nieuwe Werk would continue in operation till about 1822. After Willemsoord was taken into use, the Nieuwe Werk was closed down. Part of the Nieuwe Werk was then changed to become Fort Oostoever.(when?) This was necessary, because of the land reclamation between the Nieuwe Werk and Fort Dirks Admiraal. [ citation needed ]

In 1792 a repair facility called 'Het Nieuwe Werk' was founded. It was also called the 'Kielplaats' (Dutch for careening place). It had a state of the art lock. Ships could get in at high tide, and be pulled on their side at low tide and remain so till careening was finished. This was a very sensitive project. Careening was one thing, it was often done in all kinds of places. The logical follow up would be a repair shop with stores, something that the cities on the Zuiderzee (incl. Amsterdam) vehemently opposed. Of course they feared that one thing would lead to another, first a naval base with facilities, and then commerce itself flowing to Nieuwediep.

After the Batavian Revolution the national interest somewhat prevailed over local interests. On 20 July 1795 the national committee for the navy ordered the construction of a house, three wooden storehouses, and a building suitable for a smithy. All were to be erected within the confines of the Nieuwe Werk. Note that particular interests still succeeded in limiting the buildings. However, while one can suppose that the Nieuwe Werk was delayed by local interests, the financial situation of the admiralties was dire enough to lead to inactivity.

There is a description of the Nieuwe Werk at the end of the eighteenth century. It noted the lock of the Nieuwe Werk, and that a moat ran through the terrain, enabling ships to moor against the quay of the facility they needed to visit. The initial floor plan of the Nieuwe Werk suggests bigger plans.

At the time the description refers to, a number of cranes was present to assist the ships, at the places they needed to visit. There was a storehouse for guns, warehouses for rigging, wood etc., the smithy was on an 'island'. The house for the master of the work was southeast of the lock. There were also some houses for the school teacher, the lock keeper, and some of the workers. Most of the time, there were about 9 staff, 20-40 carpenters, 6 smiths, and 10-20 stevedores. These were kind of 'locked up' in the Nieuwe Werk, because it could only be reached at ebb. At the Nieuwe Werk many small vessels like launches, jolly boats, and boats were built. This activity went against the basic interests of the Zuiderzee harbors, but it employed their workers when there was nothing to repair.