In 1935, the government of the Netherlands approved the decision to build "superlight" cruisers. De Ruyter was used as a prototype for them. The first ship of the two was named Kijkduin and was laid down in 1939. It was initially planned to arm the cruisers with eight guns distributed among four turrets, but the composition of the armament was later reconsidered. World War II and the occupation of the Netherlands slowed down the construction—it meant that the new cruisers were completed under an extensively modified project and didn't enter service until the 1950s.