During the time of the Eighty Year's War and the forming of the United Provinces Hellevoetsluis was the naval port of the Admiralty of de Maze (Rotterdam) and could accommodate an entire fleet within a special land-enclosed fortress with harbour and dockyard facilities, accessible through a canal.

Thanks to its strategic situation the town grew from the beginning of the 17th century to be the homeport for the Dutch war fleet.

The Admirals Maarten Tromp, Michiel de Ruyter, and Piet Heyn had their home base here and in 1688 during the Glorious Revolution William III of Orange's invasion fleet departed from the port.

In the early 1700s the English painter John Thornhill lamented on how townspeople in ports took advantage of travellers who often had to wait for the weather to calm before a ship could sail.

The naval base was relocated to Den Helder in the 1930s, the Government shipyard was closed, and during World War II the Germans destroyed three-quarters of all buildings in 1944.

Among these are the "Admiraliteitsgebouw" (currently used as town hall), the "de Hoop" windmill, Fort/Bastion Haerlem, "Droogdok Jan Blanken": a historic shipbuilding site and, the Water Tower Hellevoetsluis, designed by architect N. Biezeveld and built in 1896.

Education up to secondary school level, a library, community centres, health care, and modern facilities for water sport are all available.

The old town centre, the fortress, has many terraces that look out upon the busy harbour and plenty of bars and restaurants serving 'international' food.

A walking tour leads to historical buildings such as the lighthouse, the Prinsehuis, Corn Mill De Hoop, and several museums.

The museum Gesigt van 't Dok, situated at Oostzanddijk, contains a replica of the town, fortress, and naval shipyard as it was in 1834.

This replica forms the heart of an exhibition on the development of Hellevoetsluis into a modern naval port at the beginning of the previous century.