His Majesty Willem-Alexander, King of the Netherlands and Prince of Orange-Nassau, once again visited the navy in Den Helder. He took part in a meeting of the Admiralty Council, which was held on the Rotterdam, an amphibious transport ship, to mark the occasion. The Council is the highest decision-making and advisory body of the Navy and is chaired by Vice Admiral Rob Kramer, the Inspector of the Dutch Navy. Willem-Alexander then learnt about the work on the Poolster seamanship trainer. This "stone ship" can be used to practise all the work that needs to be done on the deck of a ship, irrespective of the presence of a real ship or a sea voyage. This includes working on the lines and preparing to take on fuel at sea.
The unpretentious king chose the appropriate attire for his working visit: instead of a gala uniform and medals, all participants wore the simple blue cloth of a working uniform. Willem-Alexander is well acquainted with the navy. From 1985 to 1987, he served in Den Helder and on board the frigates Trumpet and Abraham Crijnssen completed his military service. As crown prince, he was a flotilla admiral in the reserve, but was discharged from military service at his own request before his inauguration as King of the Netherlands, as he is not permitted to hold a military function in the armed forces as head of state.
In dialogue with soldiers from the HNLMS Rotterdam
Seamanship trainer de Poolster in 2018
Text: mb; Photos: Koninklijke Marine
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