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NO 02.2017
POWERED UP, ON PATROL AND MISSION READY The HNLMS Holland is designed, powered and crewed for counter-drug, anti-piracy and relief missions. A trip on board reveals the precise interplay of training, technology and teamwork in the Royal Dutch Navy.
The helicopter hovers precariously close to the deck of the HNLMS Holland. Holland. Rotor blades rhythmically whirring, the sea churning – the noise is absolutely deafening. One officer is winched down to the ship. He lands steadily, turns rapidly and pulls the rope taut so another officer can slide safely down to join him on board. Within minutes, they press rewind and return the same way, up the rope and back into the chopper. With a quick salute, cheeky wave and slight nose dip, they head off into the distance, the pulsating sound disappearing fast into the horizon. Quite an action-packed display of military precision and agile teamwork! It was not only a training exercise, but also an oppor-
tunity to test, practice and hone the skills of the crew on board the helicopter and on the HNLMS Holland, an offshore-patrol vessel from the Dutch Navy. This was all happening just outside the main naval base, in Den Helder, but it could equally have been a maneuver during any one of its international deployments. As the advanced technolinside, the team was just as coordinated, working together to exploit their skills, equipment and propulsion system to keep the ship perfectly in place – and the officers out of harm’s way. As the vessel is deployed for challenging security operations, such interplay of training, technology
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PHOTOS: Julius Schrank
ogy and fine teamwork were on open display outside, on the