The career officer Willem Huyssen van Kattendijke became Secretary for the navy on 14 March 1861.

Huyssen van Kattendijke was quite negative about the Djambi's as heaviest ships in the Dutch East Indies.

While he admitted that steam frigates of 500 men were too costly, he thought that only ships that had their guns below decks (the 'kuilschip') were real warships.

He therefore proposed a heavy steam corvette with 22 guns below-decks, 350 nominal horse power, 250 men, a draught of no more than 20 feet, and costing about 1,000,000 guilders, i.e. 200,000 more than a Djambi.

[3] The March 1862 Battle of Hampton Roads saw an armored confederate ship easily sinking two Union frigates.

It put a temporary end to the secretary's plan to build a significant number of heavy corvettes.

The second ship was named for Philips of Marnix, Lord of Saint-Aldegonde a person closely associated with the Geuzen.

[8] The difference is due to nominal horse power not taking steam pressure into account.

At least two guns on Watergeus were long 16 cm RML's, shooting a 100 pound bullet, placed on pivots between the masts.

[9] These long 16 cm guns had been designed especially for Watergeus by De Fremery, Head of Artillery of the Navy.