Date visited 20 April 2023
I hadn't actually planned on visiting the Oudenaarde Museum in Antwerp, but when I discovered it was within walking distance of my hotel, I went and got some photographs from the adjacent roadway, even though the museum was closed to the public at the time.Oudenaarde is a Herstal class minesweeper - roughly contemporary, and outwardly similar, to the British Ham class minesweepers. To be honest I don't know much more about her than that. What did come as a surprise to me was that there was a Belgian Navy River Patrol craft up on the hard about 20m or so from the Oudenaarde. Notwithstanding multiple references on the Internet that claim this ship is the Ex Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HNLMS Hadda, a Balder class Patrol Vessel, it clearly isn't. It appears to be the ex-Belgian Navy ship BNS Schelde. Once again, I'm not sure what is happening with this ship, or if it is planned for it to eventually become a museum ship (or perhaps it may already be one which just wasn't open the day I was there).Anyway - that was my bonus for the trip, and the walk got me out of yet another Cathedral tour!
