R.S. King Witteric

R.S. King Witteric was a Royal Navy cruiser, laid in 1925, launched in 1926 and commissioned in 1928. King Witteric and sister ship R.S. King Jaime were the most modern and powerful ships to survive the German invasion.

From May 1941, with the scuttling of the R.S. Niesburg, King Witteric became the flagship of the navy.

History
The fleet was ordered sunk at Grijzestad on 21 May 1941, but shortly after Admiral Prince Hendrik ordered otherwise and the fleet attempted a daring escape to Egypt. Stuka divebombers hit the King Witteric but its anti-aircraft weapons downed at least four.

Postwar years
King Witteric was docked at Drenthe Naval Base upon the ship's return to Brunant in 1944. Lack of funds after the war meant there she and her sister ship were not sailed aside from a minor retrofit in 1947. The costs of having such large, expansive, and no longer needed ships added up, and in late 1950 it was decided the two would be broken up and sold for scrap. King WItteric was crapped in 1951.