Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution

The Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (Dutch: Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij, abbreviated: KNRM) is the voluntary organization in the Netherlands tasked with saving lives at sea. For that purpose, it maintains 39 lifeboat stations along the Dutch coast of the North Sea and Wadden Sea and on the IJsselmeer. Its headquarters have been in IJmuiden since 1996.

The KNRM was created May 22, 1991 by merging the Koninklijke Noord- en Zuid-Hollandsche Redding-Maatschappij (founded November 11, 1824), called the Noord (North), and the Koninklijke Zuid-Hollandsche Maatschappij tot Redding van Schipbreukelingen (founded November 20, 1824), called the Zuid (South). Between 1824 and 2006, they answered 36358 distress calls and saved 79887 people out of distress situations. Yearly they have about 1700 distress calls with about 3500 people saved (2008).

The KNRM also operates the Dutch Radio Medical Service (a task taken over from the Dutch Red Cross on January 1, 1999) and provides medical advice by radio to about 900 ships each year.

Ter Heijde

Ter Heijde is a village in the Dutch province of South Holland. It is a part of the municipality of Westland, and lies about 11 km west of The Hague.

The area "Ter Heijde", which also includes the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 690, mostly elder people. Ter Heijde is a popular beach-resort. It has a lifeboat station of the KNRM, the Dutch equivalent of the Royal National Lifeboat Institution.

Ter Heijde is known for the Battle of Ter Heijde (also known as The Battle of Scheveningen). This was the final battle, in 1653, of the First Anglo-Dutch War, which saw the death of Admiral Maarten Tromp. In remembrance of the battle there is a monument in the village. In 2003, 350 years after the battle, the Tromp-festival was held.

Gallery

Church

Church

War monument: 1st Anglo-Dutch War

War monument: 1st Anglo-Dutch War

References