HNLMS De Ruyter and HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën were the last cruisers in the world to be armed solely with guns. Both ships completed service within the Royal Netherlands Navy and Peruvian Navy. The initial design, dated 15 November 1937, was never brought to fruition. After WWII, the ships were still under construction, resulting in a renewed design process. HNMLS De Ruyter was commissioned on 18 November 1953 and mainly served as flagship of a task group. On 13 February 1972, she was transferred to Peru as BAP Almirante Grau and was finally decommissioned after 64 years on 26 September 2017.
