Provinciën being renamed De Ruyter. Both ships were finally commissioned by the Royal Netherlands Navy in 1953. Ships in class There were two ships in the class: (renamed De Ruyter in 1947) and Kijkduin (renamed Eendracht c. 1940, De Ruyter in 1944 and De Zeven Provinciën in 1947). Both ships enjoyed long service lives, first in the Koninklijke Marine (until the early 1970s) and then in the Marina de Guerra del Perú. Royal Netherlands Navy In Dutch service both ships participated in several NATO exercises, and were frequently used as flagships for different naval task forces. Between 1962 and 1964, De Zeven Provinciën underwent a refit by RDM which included the removal of the two aft turrets and the installation of a RIM-2 Terrier SAM system. Lack of funds precluded the same modifications from being carried out in De Ruyter, which was decommissioned in 1972. Her sister ship followed suit in 1975; the cruisers were replaced in Dutch service by the two s. Peruvian Navy De Ruyter was acquired by the Peruvian Navy and recommissioned in 1973 as fleet flagship . De Zeven Provinciën was also purchased in 1976, its RIM-2 Terrier SAM removed and replaced by a hangar and a flight deck for ASH-3D Sea King helicopters, and recommissioned in 1978 as . From 1985 until 1988 Almirante Grau underwent a major modernization by Amsterdam Naval Services (ANS), which allowed the ship to remain in service, whereas Aguirre was decommissioned in 1999. Almirante Grau was decommissioned in 2017, and will be preserved as a museum ship. As of February 2022, the Peruvian Government has decided to open tender for the sale of the ship. References Sources Moore, John (ed.), Jane's Fighting Ships 1974–75. Franklin Watts Inc., 1975. Rodríguez Asti, John, Cruceros. Buques de la Marina de Guerra del Perú desde 1884. Dirección de Intereses Marítimos, 2000. netherlandsnavy.nl Further reading Friedman, Norman "Anti-Aircraft Cruisers: The Life of a Class" United States Naval Institute Proceedings January 1965 Cruiser classes