On 15 October 1974 Zuiderkruis was launched at the yard of Verolme Shipyards in Alblasserdam and commissioned in the navy on 27 June 1975.

[2] 8 February 1982 the ship together with the frigates Tromp, Callenburgh, Van Speijk, Piet Hein and the destroyer Overijssel departed from Den Helder for a trip to the US to show the flag and for 200 years diplomatic relations.

[3] In 1988 Zuiderkruis and the frigates Jan van Brakel, Kortenaer and Witte de With made a trip to the far east and Australia to show the flag and for practice.

[5] Zuiderkruis rescued 14 Sri Lankan refugees on 25 April 1996 Adriatic Sea and dropped them off at the Italian port of Bari.

[7] She, Rotterdam and the school ship Urania visited Spithead for a fleet review held in honor of the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar on 28 June 2005 .