The De Zeven Provinciën class (also called Eendracht class) was a class of light cruisers. They were built by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) and Wilton-Fijenoord for the Royal Netherlands Navy. The name De Zeven Provinciën refers to the seven provinces which formed the Dutch Republic in 1581. Design In the 1930s there was an increased awareness in the Netherlands about the threat which the Imperial Japanese Navy posed to the Dutch East Indies. To face this, the Koninklijke Marine embarked on a major naval expansion program in 1932, which included building two new light cruisers as replacements for the aging s. The design was an improvement of the earlier and both ships were laid down in 1939. The first was named Kijkduin, later changed to Eendracht, and the second one received the name De Zeven Provinciën, hence the name of the class. The main armament was designed as two triple and two twin Bofors 152 mm/53 caliber guns. However, construction was interrupted by the German invasion of the Netherlands on 10 May 1940. De Zeven Provinciën was 25% completed and Kijkduin 12%. The Germans redesigned the ships main armament. De Zeven Provinciën was planned with four dual turrets 15 cm SK C/28 guns. Eendracht was planned with smaller guns taken from a broken down battleship, but the exact gun types are unknown. The Germans continued work on De Zeven Provinciën which was more advanced than its twin; it was renamed KH1 ("KH" means "Kreuzer Holland") and modified by fitting an Atlantik Bow. Eendracht was renamed KH2. Work progressed very slowly as the dockyards' capacity was used for other purposes and sabotage by the Dutch resistance affected progress. On 24 December 1944, KH1 was launched for use as a blockship in the Nieuwe Waterweg of Rotterdam but this action was never carried out. After the end of World War II, construction resumed on both ships to a modified design which incorporated the lessons of the war. Armament was modified from two triple and two twin Bofors 152 mm/53 guns, six twin 40 mm AA and two triple 533 mm torpedo tubes to four twin Bofors 152 mm/53 guns, four twin Bofors 57 mm/60 guns and eight single Bofors 40 mm/70 guns. An improved propulsion plant was fitted as well as a second funnel and advanced electronics. Names were also changed with Eendracht becoming De Zeven Provinciën and the former De Zeven