Willemsoord is a large former naval base of the Royal Netherlands Navy in Den Helder.

In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, it became increasingly difficult for big ships to regularly sail to the Dutch cities on the Zuiderzee.

The Nieuwediep was a stretch of deep water close to the coast near what would later become Den Helder, and was well protected by a shoal.

It lacked facilities like stores and repair shops, that would make it a real naval base.

Of course they feared that one thing would lead to another, first a naval base with facilities, and then commerce itself flowing to Nieuwediep.

On 20 July 1795 the national committee for the navy ordered the construction of a house, three wooden storehouses, and a building suitable for a smithy.

However, while one can suppose that the Nieuwe Werk was delayed by local interests, the financial situation of the admiralties was dire enough to lead to inactivity.

It noted the lock of the Nieuwe Werk, and that a moat ran through the terrain, enabling ships to moor against the quay of the facility they needed to visit.

At the time the description refers to, a number of cranes was present to assist the ships, at the places they needed to visit.

[4] In 1799 the Anglo-Russian invasion of Holland led to the capture of Nieuwediep and the Nieuwe Werk on 29 August after both had been evacuated.

A Dutch fleet of eight ships of the line and four frigates, now separated from its base, mutinied and surrendered without firing a shot.

In a few years a bunch of strong fortresses and fortifications was established centering on Den Helder.

While work on a new base at what would later become Willemsoord was started in 1811, daily operations continued at the Nieuwe Werk.

At the time the Dutch fleet in Den Helder, the so-called squadron of Texel consisted of; the ships of the line: Prince (80), Zoutman (80), De Ruyter (80), Evertsen (80) and Doggersbank; the frigates Meuse (44) and Ijssel (44) (both with French crews); the corvette Venus and the Brig Irene, as well as the French brig Iréne.

In port and not ready were the ships of the line: Amsterdam (80), Brabant (76), Jean de Witt (68) and Rotterdam (68), and the frigates Aurora / Dageraad (32) and Maria Reijgersbergen (32).

Later plans opted for a combination of housing, business, tourist attraction and water related recreational activities.

[8] In 1994 the masterplan 'The Netherlands Overseas' (Nederland Overzee) was made that included a maritime theme park.

The plan also envisioned the creation of new buildings evoking (the trade relations with) other countries, an idea targeted at attracting more visitors.

[12] In order to experience the industrial character, there would be no roads, street names or sidewalks, and everything would be paved with the original clinker bricks.

[13] On 29 April 2004 Willemsoord, the restored south west corner, and theme park Cape Holland were opened for the public.

Willemsoord became a regular quarter of Den Helder, albeit with a strong focus on culture, entertainment and tourism.

Next to the indoor collection it has the ironclad ram Schorpioen (1868), submarine Tonijn (1965), and gunvessel Bonaire (1877).

In 2004 the replica of the Dutch East India Company ship Prins Willem became part of the theme park Cape Holland.

The width of 25 meters applies to the top of the dock, and decreases incrementally till reaching the floor.

A subterraneous sewer connected the building to the dry dock, and allowed the pumphouse to drain the water to the canal that surrounds Willemsoord.

In April 1856 the minister for the navy Abraham Johannes de Smit van den Broecke proposed a budget law to raise the naval budget by 200,000 guilders in order to start the realization of dry dock II.

This bill was defeated, because the house of representatives thought that a floating dock would be cheaper, nevertheless the minister stayed on by request of the king.

On 27 May 1867 Adolf van Nassau entered Dry Dock II in Willemsoord with all her guns on board, proving that it could handle the heaviest Dutch ships.

The pumps for Dry Dock II were driven by steam engines housed in a new pumphouse, later known as 'Gebouw 56' (Building 56), or simply Het Pomphuis.

This suggests that the Dutch navy constructed a building for making sails and rigging post World War II.