[1] The class comprised Evertsen, Piet Hein and Kortenaer.

[3] The protection of the Dutch East Indies came into the spotlight at the end of the nineteenth century.

In 1887, two medium-sized Chinese battleships became operational and were considered superior to the Dutch defence.

In April 1892, the foundations for modernisation were formulated by a committee consisting of three officers J.H.

Ultimately, only the Piet Hein was sent to the Indies from 1899 to 1901, because the financing of the ships was dependant on their suitability for coastal defence of the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean.

[2] The ships were equipped with 2 shaft reciprocating engines, which were rated at 4,700 ihp (3,500 kW) and produced a top speed of 16 knots (30 km/h).