 A Dutch proposal to build new battleships was originally tendered in 1912 , after years of concern over the expansion of the Imperial Japanese Navy and the withdrawal of allied British warships from the China Station . Only four coastal defense ships were planned , but naval experts and the Tweede Kamer ( lower house of the parliament ) believed that acquiring dreadnoughts would be more prudent . The cabinet , however , was unwilling to spend the money , and the project was abandoned .
 ultimately , the battleships were never built .
The 1912 Dutch naval program called for a four- ship class of coastal defense ships . The vessels were intended to replace