The Dutch battleship De Zeven Provincen flying the German naval ensign during a visit by German dignitaries in 1914.
Commissioned as part of the 1909 fleet law Provincen was the lone member of her class, the Koninklijke Marine building a pair of battlecruisers at the same time. The ship was built by Vulcan in Germany between 1909 and 1912 and armed with ten 280mm guns in five twin turrets, two of which were located on the centerline in an en echelon arrangement that permitted no cross deck firing but was necessary to deliver an eight bun broadside.
Becoming the sole Dutch battleship after the ships of the Zealandia class were cancelled in 1915 Provincen would often act as the flagship for the home fleet, seeing much of her service in European waters and seldom deployed to the east indies where the kingdoms battlecruisers were often deployed. She recieved a number of refits during the interwar, though she would never be refit as heavily as some of the other ships in the fleet and would enter the second world war appearing little changed from her initial appearance, the ship being actually slated for decomissioning in 1941 with the planned entry into service of the Tromp class battlecruisers.
In port at the time of the German invasion of the low countries Provincen would sail for the United Kingdom with the royal family, treasury, and part of the national archives in concern with several other Dutch warships. She arrived in portsmouth unscathed, though she narrowly avoided attack by German Stuka dive bombers on her retreat. Becoming a part of the Free Dutch forces working with the British Provincen was the only significant Dutch warship to see extensive use in European waters, the battlecruisers being used in the east indies and Pacific during the war.
Due to her age and dated equipment Provincen was used most often as a convoy escort, freeing up larger British capital ships for duties elsewhere. It being generally assumed that although lightly armed by modern standards the ship was big enough to ward of any of the German heavy capital ships which may be sent out as raiders. Or at the very least being able to seriously damage and delay an attacking German ship before she was sunk.
This logic would be put to the test in the battle of the Norwegian sea when a convoy to the USSR escorted by Provincen would be engaged by the German heavy cruiser Scheer, also armed with 280mm guns. Recently fitted with a set of radar donated by the Americans Provincen would manage to hit the Scheer on her third salvo, driving off the raider without damage. This would be the only time the ship engaged another surface unit in direct combat, though she would engage and shoot down dozens of German aircraft during her war service.
The ships final war service would come during the Normandy landings when Provincen would be purposely grounded on the French coast to provide close big gun support to the landings. Her guns being worn out during the engagement, while her engines had already been worn badly, the ship only making 12 knots the last time she sailed. Post war the hulk would be scrapped in place by the restored French government, with components from the ship being taken and brought to the Netherlands to be displayed in the Den Helder museum.