Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service
The Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service (Dutch: Onderzeedienst; OZD) is a department within the Royal Netherlands Navy that is responsible for the deployment of Dutch submarines. It was established out of the Netherlands Torpedo Service on 21 December 1906, and merged with the Netherlands Mine Service on 15 July 2005.
The first submarine in the Royal Netherlands Navy did not get accepted into the fleet roster without its share of difficulties. A Dutch shipbuilding yard, De Schelde in Vlissingen, approached the Dutch Navy in 1903 to enquire if the Navy would be interested in purchasing a submarine. The Navy, however, was not fully convinced. Since De Schelde thought it could convince the Dutch Navy if it actually had a working submarine, the company started construction anyway. Plans were purchased from the U.S. Electric Boat Company, and construction was started June 1, 1904. After about a year of construction, the privately owned and funded LUCfOR ET EMERGO was launched on July 8, 1905.
A crew was brought in from the Electric Boat Company to test the boat, and acceptance trials were set up by the Dutch Navy. All De Schelde had to do was show the boat lived up to its promises, and the State would purchase and commission iL The test runs, however, were disappointing, and as a result, the submarine failed to qualify. De Schelde blamed the failure on the U.S. crew men who, though experts in their respective technical fields, were not seamen, and therefore were not able to show the operational value of the submarine.
The yard did not give up that easily. They went through the Navy ranks to find volunteers to crew the boat. After months of training and practicing, the Dutch submarine commander felt confident that they could go through the paces again, meet the standards set by the Navy, and get the submarine accepted into the Dutch Navy. In December, 1905, the boat passed inspection, and was commis-sioned as ONDERZEEBOOT 1 (0-1).
After commissioning, the Navy was quite impressed by the performance of this little craft It was observed, however, that there were no spare parts available, no blueprints, nor were there any instructions regarding battery operations available. In early 1906, while running at periscope depth, the periscope collided with an ice floe, and was bent out of shape. Since there was no spare periscope available, De Schelde bent it back as well as it could, and it stayed like that until the boat was scrapped many years later. Despite the various problems encountered with their first submarine, the Dutch Navy was now convinced that it should build submarines, since they had enormous potential as weapons in the defense of Dutch neutrality. The 0-2 was built in 1907, and commissioned in 1908. This submarine was built to plans purchased from Whitehead and Co., since the Dutch wanted some other designs to evaluate and experiment with. The Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service was born and many new submarines followed.
Submarines built before 1940Until the O 19 class there was distinction made between O submarines used for European home waters and K submarines used for colonial service.
Submarines built for service in Europe
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-6 Class
HNLMS O-6
05-12-1916
November 1936
< unknown >
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-7 Class
HNLMS O-7
23-12-1916
21-11-1939
Scrapped 1939
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
German UC I Class
HNLMS M1
13-03-1917
1931
1931 discarded
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch H Class
HNLMS O-8
07-05-1917
1940
refloated by Germamy 14-05-1940
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-9 Class
HNLMS O-10
01-09-1926
11-10-1944
Sold for scrap october 1946
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-9 Class
HNLMS O-11
18-01-1926
—
Sunk 06-03-1940
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-12 Class
HNLMS O-12
20-07-1931
—
Scuttled 0n 15-05-1940
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-12 Class
HNLMS O-13
01-10-1931
13-06-1940
Missing after 12 June 1940
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Decommissioned:
Status:
O-12 Class
HNLMS O-14
04-03-1932
26-06-1943
Parts were used for sister ship O 15
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-12 Class
HNLMS O-15
28-07-1932
01-09-1945
Scrapped 02-10-1946
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-16 Class
HNLMS O-16
16-10-1936
—
Sunk by mine 15-12-1941
Submarines built for colonial service
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-II Class
HNLMS K-II
28-03-1922
August 1937
Decommissioned 1937
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-III Class
HNLMS K-III
28-03-1922
1934
Decommissioned 1934
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-III Class
HNLMS K-IV
27-04-1921
1936
Decommissioned 1936
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
KK-V Class
HNLMS K-V
15-09-1920
1937
Decommissioned 1937
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-V Class
HNLMS K-VI
11-10-1921
1937
Decommissioned 1937
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Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-V Class
HNLMS K-VII
05-09-1922
18-02-1945
Destroyed 18-02-1945
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-VIII Class
HNLMS K-VIII
15-09-1922
15-07-1942
Scrapped 1957
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-VIII Class
HNLMS K-IX
21-06-1921
25-07-1942
Transfered to RAN
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-VIII Class
HNLMS K-X
24-09-1923
02-03-1942
Scrapped 1946
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Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XI Class
HNLMS K-XI
24-03-1925
11-04-1945
Stripped and scuttled, 1945/46
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XI Class
HNLMS K-XII
19-05-1925
05-05-1944
scrapped in 1951
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Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XI Class
HNLMS K-XIII
29-03-1926
05-05-1944
Scuttled on 02-03-942
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XIV Class
HNLMS K-XIV
06-07-1933
23-04-1946
Unknown
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Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XIV Class
HNLMS K-XV
30-12-1933
23-04-1946
scrapped December 1950
Class:
Name:
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Decommissioned:
Status:
KK-XIV Class
HNLMS K-XVI
31-01-1934
—
Sunk 25-12-1941
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Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XIV Class
HNLMS K-XVII
19-12-1933
—
Sunk (mine) 21-12-1941
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
K-XIV Class
HNLMS K-XVIII
23-03-1934
02-03-1942
Scuttled on 02-03-1942
Submarines built for both colonial service and service in Europe
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-19 Class
HNLMS O-19
03-07-1939
—
Scuttled on 10-07-1945
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-19 Class
HNLMS O-20
28-08-1939
—
Sunk on 19-12-1941
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-21
10-05-1940
02-11-1957
Scrapped 24-01-1958
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-22
10-05-1940
02-11-1957
Lost in 1940
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-23
13-05-1940
01-12-1948
Sold for scrapped, April 1949
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-24
13-05-1940
june 1955
Sold for scrapped, 1963
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-25
—
—
Incomplete, scuttled, later raised by German
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-26
—
—
Incomplete, captured by German on 14 May 1940
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
O-21 Class
HNLMS O-27
—
—
Incomplete, captured by German on 14 May 1940
Submarines built after 1940
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch U-Class
HNLMS Dolfijn
07-11-1942: P 47 is Dolfijn.
December 1946
Scrapped May 1952
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch S-Class
HNLMS Zeehond
11-10-1943
14-11-1945
returned to UK 17-11-1945
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch T-Class
Zwaardvisch
23-22-1943
11-12-1962
Scrapped 12 July 1963
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch T-Class
Tijgerhaai
28-03-1945
11-11-1964
Scrapped 5-11-1965
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch T-Class
Dolfijn
04-06-1948
08-12-1953
Returned to Royal Navy on 07-12-1953
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Brittisch T-Class
Zeehond
12-07-1948
—
Returned to the Royal Navy in 1953
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus(Balao)-Class
Walrus
21-02-1953
15-07-1971
Returned to USA, sold for scrap, 15-08-1971
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus(Balao)-Class
Zeeleeuw
21-04-1953
—
Sold for scrap, 24-11-1970
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Dolfijn(Potvis)-Class
Dolfijn (S08)
16-12-1960
29-04-1982
Sold for scrap 1985
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Dolfijn(Potvis)-Class
Potvis (S804)
02-11-1965
18-06-1992
Broken up and scrapped in 1994
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Dolfijn(Potvis)-Class
Tonijn (S805)
24-02-1965
10-01-1991
Museum ship since 1994
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Dolfijn(Potvis)-Class
Zeehond (S809)
16-03-1961
11-01-1991
Scrapped 1997
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Zwaardvis-Class
Tijgerhaai
16-03-1961
11-01-1991
Scrapped 1997
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Zwaardvis-Class
Zwaardvis
18-08-1972
1994
Scrapped 2006
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus-Class
Walrus
25-03-1992
12-10-2023
Decommissioned
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus-Class
Zeeleeuw
25-04-1992
—
active
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus-Class
Dolfijn
19-06-1993
—
active
Class:
Name:
Commisisoned:
Decommissioned:
Status:
Walrus-Class
Bruinvis
05-07-1994
—
active
References:
http://www.dutchsubmarines.com/
https://archive.navalsubleague.org/
https://www.zeeuwsarchief.nl/onderzoek-het-zelf/archief/