Designed by Yarrow, the ships of the Admiralen-class were a modified design of HMS Ambuscade from which they differed very little in specification. They did however differ in having funnels of equal section, the position of mainmast and equipment to meet Dutch requirements. These latter included the carrying of mines, a seaplane stowed above the after torpedo tubes and not having gunshields in ‘B’ and ‘Y’ positions. Speed at deep load was 34 kts. A pair was laid down each year -starting in 1925- in Netherlands yards. The main machinery was manufactured by Yarrow.

They had slightly less power, speed, and bunkerage than Ambuscade, but had a heavier light anti-aircraft armament and orginally shipped a seaplane, which better suited them for an independent role when not working with the fleet. HNLMS Kortenaer was the second destroyer of the first group.

HMS Ambuscade was a British Royal Navy destroyer which served in the Second World War. She and her Thornycroft competitor, HMS Amazon, were prototypes designed to exploit advances in construction and machinery since World War I and formed the basis of Royal Navy destroyer evolution up to the Tribals of 1936. She was launched at Yarrow on 15 January 1926, served in World War II, and was broken up at Troon in 1946.

The mainmast was stepped between the torpedo tubes and was rigged with a derrick for handling the aircraft which was stowed on the light deck over the after bank of torpedo tubes. Later, however, the aircraft was landed and the deck used for the stowage of light boats. Only the fo’c’sle and quarterdeck guns had shields while both superimposed guns were open mountings.

The four vessels of the first batch had two 3-inch anti aircraft guns between the funnels and the searchlights abreast the fore funnel, but the destroyers of the second batch had only a single 3-inch anti aircraft gun placed between the funnels together with the searchlights arranged in echelon, and the light anti aircraft armament was supplemented by the addition of two twin 40 mm mountings. In addition, the first batch were fitted for minelaying and the second batch for minesweeping, making them a versatile class for general purpose.

Below: An ad taken from the 1927 edition of Jane Fighting Ships. That year the shipyard was building 3 destroyers (Evertsen, Kortenaer and Piet Hein).