HNLMS Dolfijn (S808)

History

HNLMS Dolfijn (S808) ("Dolphin") is a Walrus-class diesel-electric attack submarine currently (2013) in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy. The course consists of four ships, led by HNLMS Walrus (S803), including HNLMS Zeeleeuw (S803) and HNLMS Bruinvis (S810).

The Walrus-class is the only submarine in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy, replacing the top four Zwaardvis-class attack submarine families that appeared in the 1980s/1990s (two of which were still in existence and active as of 2013). The Dofijn design features quiet operation and is suitable for deep sea operations.

The construction of the vessel was carried out by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij from Rotterdam, The Netherlands (production ceased in 1996).

HNLMS Dolfijn displaced 2,350 tonnes when it surfaced and 2,650 tonnes when submerged. She consists of a crew of 50, consisting of officers and seamen, divided into watches. The onboard kit includes Signal/Racal AW07 surface search radar, Thomson Sintra TSM 2272 Eledone Octopus sonar, GEC Avionics Type 2026 towed array system and Thomson Sintra DUUX 5 series pass-through range and intercept sonar system.

The hull design features a barrel length of 68 meters, a beam of 8.4 meters and a draft of 6.6 meters. The hull also has a distinctly faceted design, rather than the traditional smooth, rounded surfaces seen on other submarines.

Interestingly, its control surfaces also feature an unconventional "X" arrangement rather than the more traditional "cross" arrangement seen elsewhere. The vessel manages a centralized sail equipped with various communication and sensor systems as well as the necessary optics.

There are dive planes on either side of the sail. Propulsion is via 3 x diesel engines and an electric propulsion configuration putting out 5,430 shaft horsepower to a single five-bladed propeller aft. The top speed is 13 knots on the surface and 20 knots underwater.

The ship can reach a depth of 300 meters.

As an attack submarine, the Dofijn is equipped with 4 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes and up to 20 x Mk 48 (or NT37) deployable torpedo SubHarpoon surface-to-surface missiles to counter threats from surface warships. The ship also Capable of launching mines when necessary.

Despite its arsenal, Dofijn is primarily used as an intelligence gathering platform by the Royal Netherlands Navy and the United Nations. Dofijn has actively participated in joint European and American exercises, most of which were most recently as part of BALTOPS 2013 (BALTic OPerations 2013).

The Walrus class has been in active service since the 1990s and has since entered a period of modernization to make the class more useful for offshore operations.

Specification

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