Dutch Submarines: News of 2001

To find out what is new on this site go to what's new
Would you like to report some news about Dutch submarines ?
Please email us at webmaster@dutchsubmarines.com

First Dutch sub commissioned 95th years ago
21 Dec 2001	Today it is 95 year ago that the Royal Netherlands Navy commissioned its first submarine, the O 1.

Malaysia no longer considers Dutch subs
21 Nov 2001 JDW	Janes Defence Weekly reports that France is close to securing a contract to supply submarines to Malaysia. . . . .Their source (a report in the Paris Busuniss Daily of Nov 5) follows an announcement last month by Abdul Razak that Malaysia would no longer be considering a proposal by the Netherlands-based RDM shipyard to supply two used Zwaardvis-class, the Zwaardvis and the Tijgerhaai, and two new build Moray-class SSKs to the RMN. .

New Dutch/Netherlands Navy newsgroup
30 Nov 2001	On 30 Nov the Dutch government agreed to send naval/air force units to the Arabic peninsula (to support operation Enduring Freedom) and to the Caribbean (to support US units). The following units will be deployed: Three frigates, four P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, one submarine and one KDC-10 tanker plane. The first unit (frigate Hr.Ms. Philips van Almonde) will depart from the Netherlands on the 10th of December.

New Dutch/Netherlands Navy newsgroup
28 Nov 2001	A new newsgroup, nl.defensie.marine has been founded. This newsgroup is dedicated to all aspects/branches of the Royal Netherlands Navy.

Malaysia to finalize sub deal next month
20 Nov 2001 Business Times	The Malaysian government is finalizing negotiations to buy four submarines and is expected to award a contract next month. Talks are continuing with at least three companies that have tendered for contracts to supply the submarines, a government official said, adding that "contracts will be awarded next month.. probably for two submarines first, and two more sometime next year." Among the bidders are France's DCN International, the Netherlands' RDM Submarines, and the German-Turkish Submarine Corp led by Germany's Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft (HDW) and Ferrostaal. .

US seeks help to deliver Taiwan submarine promise
19 Nov 2001 Agence France Presse	Several submarine builders have expressed interest in the Taiwanese navy's plan to acquire eight conventional submarines, according to a soon to be published report in Jane's Defence Weekly. . . Among the companies is Northrop Grumman, it says. Jane's says that "Northrop is looking at using a modified version of the Netherlands' RDM design that Northrop's Ingalls Shipyard plans to build for the Egyptian Navy." . . . Military sources here have said Taiwan's navy favour Germany's 209-class or Dutch-designed Moray submarines.

Dutch Armed Forces support "war against terror"
10 Nov 2001	After a request by the US the Netherlands Navy and Air Force will support the "war against terror". The following units will be deployed in the Afghan theatre: Six F16 fighters with surveillance equipment, one KDC-10 tanker/transport plane, one C 130 Hercules transport plane and four Navy P-3C Orion patrol aircraft. The Navy will deploy the following units in the Arabic Sea: Three frigates, two mine hunters and one submarine.

Bruinvis collision was human error ?!?
3 Nov 2001 Haagsche Courant	It is reported that the Oct 19 collision was a human navigational error. Sailing at a depth of 15 meters the Bruinvis tried to evade the rock by a quick change of course. Possibly the rock was not detected sooner because of Sonar problems. A special Navy committee will investigate the Oct 19 collision. ...more related info.

Bruinvis repairs will take two weeks
31 Oct 2001 Helderse Courant	The repairs of Bruinvis will take an estimated two weeks. The Navy yard has to install some new plating forward and aft a dive plane has to be repaired. The polyester cover of the sonar must also be repaired, the drying of this polyester will take some time. A special Navy committee will investigate the Oct 19 collision. ...more related info.

Bruinvis hits USO
19 Oct 2001 Various sources	On Friday Oct 19 Bruinvis has hit an unidentified submerged object in the Norwegian Sognefjord. The crew hears clearly that the boat has hit something. Divers inspect the boat and report damage on the bottom of the submarine. Bruinvis breaks off her scheduled program and sails (surfaced) back to Den Helder. ...more related info.

Is RDM losing all its potential clients ?
24 Oct 2001 Various sources	Will the US 'steal' RDM's last potential customer by offering a 'Dutch' design ? .

RDM still going for Taiwanese deal ?
18 Oct 2001 Various sources	Although the Dutch government has stated it will not allow RDM to export its submarine technology to Taiwan there is talk that RDM is still interested in the deal .

Dutch built ROCN Hai Hu mishap
14 Oct 2001 Various sources	ROCN RAdm Lee Shi-Ming revealed that the Dutch built ROCN SSK 794 () hit a sandbar while submerged at 150 m due to operator error, causing the bow sonar to be damaged (scratches on its fibreglass sonar cover). Due to proper emergency response from the crew there were no casualties. This is the first ROCN sub training mishap known to the public. After the collision the crew executed standard surfacing procedures and conducted above-water inspections and system functional checks. After finding no anomaly, she completed the original mission. Lee pointed out that, for safety purposes, Hai Hu conducted an under-water inspection and found damages to the port side sonar cover after returning to Zoying Naval Base on Oct. 3. The vessel sailed to the dry-dock at Shinchuang Harbour for repairs the next morning and repairs where completed the 10th. To prevent the enemy from learning the extent of the damage, Hai Hu entered the dry-dock bow first. Lee said that ROCN will intensify the collection of underwater geography data. .

Dutch Submarine emerges from sandy grave
27 Sep 200l Tim Smith & John Morcombe	The Dutch submarine K IX, lost off the NSW coast near Seal Rocks in the final stages of World War II, has re-emerged from its sandy grave after king tides in the area. Read the or view the photos of the revealed submarine for more information.

Dutch Navy ready for "war against terrorism"
25 Sep 200l Helderse Courant	The Dutch Navy has appointed several ships that could be used in possible NATO operations in the "war against terrorism". Several sources report that the following ships are on the list: Frigates Van Nes and Jacob van Heemskerck, the LPD Rotterdam, and the submarine Bruinvis.

Important developments at LIMA !?
22 Sep 200l email	It is reported that: "there will be some important Dutch submarine news during or just before/after the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA). The exhibition is held 9th - 14th October 2001." This news will probably have to do with the two ex-Dutch Navy subs that are to be leased to Malaysia or with the possible sale of new subs to Malaysia. .

Days at sea
2002 National Budget 19 Sept 2001	The 'days at sea' stats for the Dutch submarines as listed in the 2002 national budget is as follows: 2000: 339 days, 2001 estimate: 480 days, and also 480 days at sea are estimated for 2002.

Readiness Dutch Subs
2002 National Budget 19 Sept 2001	The readiness of Dutch subs (as listed in the national budget 2002) is as follows: Immediately: 1 boat, short term: 2 boats, long term: 1 boat.

Swordfish subs not present at LIMA exhibition
20 Sept 2001 Email	The Apr. 22 report that one of the ex-Dutch Navy Swordfish submarines is expected to be "towed'' to Langkawi for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) can not be confirmed anymore. According to the latest news none of the Swordfish submarines will be present at this exhibition.

Dutch Navy Newsgroup
18 Sept 2001 Email	Several Dutch Naval enthusiasts are trying to create a Dutch Navy related newsgroup on USE-Net. Support their actions by taking part in the RFD discussions and the voting process (not yet started). The RFD (request for discussion) is posted in the following newsgroups: nl.newsgroups , nl.newsgroups.announce

Zeeleeuw(2) involved in ASW sonar trials
16 Sept 2001 Email	Early November the Zeeleeuw (2) will be involved in testing a new sonar, to locate submarines, designed by the Dutch company TNO-FEL. This new sonar is probably TNO-FEL's ALF (Active Low Frequent) system.

New book published
11 Sept 2001 Email	Finally the memoirs of are going to be published. The book, "Jonge honden - Oude helden" (Young dogs - Old heroes), is a firsthand account of his days on board the submarine O 21 during World War II. It is expected the book, that has about 320 pages and 16 photo pages, will be available around April/May 2002. .

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 20 - 33
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Dolfijn (4)	15 May 21 - 27 May 31 May 3 June 8 June 11 Jun	Departure At sea Arrival Departure Arrival Departure	Dubai - La Valetta, La Valetta, Lisbon, Portugal Lisbon, Portugal
	Bruinvis	28 May 8 June 11 June 18 June 19 June 2 July 4 July 12 July 15 July 16 July	Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Faslane, Scotland Dublin, Ireland Dublin, Ireland Faslane, Scotland Faslane, Scotland Loch Ewe, Scotland Loch Ewe, Scotland Zeebrugge, Belgium Zeebrugge, Belgium Den Helder, home port
	Zeeleeuw (2)	1 June 4 June 15 June 18 June 24 June	Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Plymouth, England Plymouth, England Cork, Ireland Cork, Ireland Den Helder, home port
	Mercuur (4)	31 May 5 June 8 June 11 June 15 June 18 June 22 June 25 June 29 June 2 July 6 July 9 July 12 July	Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Den Helder, home port Den Helder, home port Árhús, Denmark Árhús, Denmark Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm, Sweden Szczecin, Poland Szczecin, Poland Copenhagen, Denmark Copenhagen, Denmark Oslo, Norway Oslo, Norway Den Helder, home port

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 19
Various Sources	Walrus (2)		Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Dolfijn (4)	30 Apr - 6 May 10 May	At sea Arrival	- Dubai
	Bruinvis	-	-	-
	Zeeleeuw (2)	-	-	-
	Mercuur (4)	-	-	-

Malaysian Navy to buy four submarines
29 Apr 2001 The Star Malaysia	The Royal Malaysian Navy will acquire four submarines in a move to enhance its defence capability. The submarines that they will acquire will be a mix of new and refurbished vessels. Submarine manufacturers from Germany, France, Sweden and Holland are bidding to supply submarines to Malaysia. It is learnt that the navy has listed down two manufacturers to be chosen to supply the vessels. Details of the acquisition will be announced soon.

Government and RDM deny possible Taiwanese sub deal
25 Apr 2001 Various sources	A Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman stated that in 1984 the Netherlands agreed with China not to sell any more weapons to Taiwan. Frank de Bruin, a Dutch Foreign Ministry spokesman, said, "The Netherlands maintains a one-China policy. That means no weapons are to be sold to Taiwan or to third parties for resale to Taiwan." The Dutch RDM company also denied that they might design these subs.

U.S. agrees to help Taiwan with diesel subs
23 Apr 2001 Various sources	The Bush administration has agreed to help Taiwan purchase diesel-powered submarines. Because the United States no longer makes that type of sub, it will have to find a friendly third nation, probably the Netherlands or Germany, to provide them.

Malaysia to be spoilt for choice of subs
22 Apr 2001 The Star Malaysia	One of the ex-Dutch Navy Swordfish submarines is expected to be "towed'' to Langkawi for the Langkawi International Maritime and Aerospace Exhibition (LIMA) which will be held from 9th - 14th October 2001 in the resort island of Langkawi, Malaysia. The two diesel-electric powered submarines have been berthed in Lumut (Malaysia) since December for refurbishment and upgrading work. .

Subs for Taiwan. Just a game of politics ?
20 Apr 2001 E-mail	According to some U.S. sources there is no way that China will agree with the sale of Submarines (or Aegis cruisers) to Taiwan. These same sources report that Taiwan just wants to set the stakes very high so they have a better chance to get less capable systems, like the Kidd class destroyers, in the end.

Taiwanese subs will be German OR Dutch
23 Apr 2001 Taipei Times	It seems that the Taipei Times can not make up its mind. A few days ago they reported that the subs for Taiwan (full story) will be of German design, but today they report the subs will be of German or Dutch design. The Associated Press already reported this on the 18th.

New Submarine Service Commander
20 Apr 2001 E-mail	Today Ktz. is relieved from his command. The new is .

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 14 - 17
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Dolfijn (4)	5 Apr 8 Apr	Arrival Departure	Muscat, Oman Muscat, Oman
	Bruinvis	2 Apr 2 Apr 6 Apr 8 Apr	Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Bergen, Norway Herdlefjord, Norway Herdlefjord, Norway Den Helder, home port
	Zeeleeuw (2)	2 Apr 7 Apr 20 Apr 23 Apr 28 Apr	Departure Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival	Plymouth, UK London, UK Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway Den Helder, home port
	Mercuur (4)	2 Apr 2 Apr 4 Apr 7 Apr 23 Apr 26 Apr 28 Apr	Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival	Bergen, Norway Herdlefjord, Norway Herdlefjord, Norway Den Helder, home port Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway Den Helder, home port

U.S. Diesel subs for Taiwan not designed by the Dutch
19 Apr 2001 Taipei Times	The U.S. plans to sell eight diesel-powered submarines to Taiwan . . . . .the German-designed submarines will be built in the U.S..

Taiwan to buy, Dutch or German design, diesel subs from U.S.
18 Apr 2001 Associated Press / Kyodo	The United States has agreed in principle to sell eight diesel-powered submarines to Taiwan . . . . .The subs, based on German 209 type 1400 and Dutch-designed Moray 1400/1800, will be assembled by General Motors Corp. and Litton Industries Inc. in the United States and tested by the U.S. Navy. Full story

K IX plaque
14 Mar 2001 Tim Smith	On Friday 23 March 2001 at 12pm the Australian NSW Heritage Office is organizing a ceremony at the Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse near Seal Rocks, NSW, Australia, where an interpretative plaque to the submarine K IX will be unveiled. Full story

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 12 & 13
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	19 Mar 22 Mar	Arrival Departure	Alexandria, Egypt Alexandria, Egypt
	Bruinvis	18 Mar 19 Mar 29 Mar 30 Mar	Arrival Arrival Departure Arrival	Leith, Scotland Sognafjorden, Norway Sognafjorden, Norway Bergen, Norway
	Zeeleeuw (2)	19 Mar 30 Mar	Departure Arrival	La Coruna. Spain Plymouth, UK
	Mercuur (4)	19 Mar 29 Mar 30 Mar	Arrival Departure Arrival	Sognafjorden, Norway Sognafjorden, Norway Bergen, Norway

Annual Reunion
Feb 2001 Peter Janssen	The annual reunion of the "Reünistenvereniging Onderzeedienst" will be held on Wednesday April 25 2001 at the Amsterdam Naval Barracks. Members only. Additional information at:

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 10 and 11
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	8 Mar 11 Mar	Arrival Departure	Valencia, Spain Valencia, Spain
	Bruinvis	8 Mar 9 Mar	Arrival Departure	Faslane, Scotland Faslane, Scotland
	Zeeleeuw (2)	5 Mar 16 Mar	Departure Arrival	Plymouth, England La Coruna, Spain
	Mercuur (4)	5 Mar 17 Mar	Departure Arrival	Den Helder Den Helder

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 8 and 9
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	27 Feb	Departure	Den Helder
	Bruinvis	19 Feb 23 Feb	Arrival Departure	Faslane, Scotland Faslane, Scotland
	Zeeleeuw (2)	21 Feb	Departure	Den Helder
	Mercuur (4)	-	-	-

Bruinvis working up again
Mid Feb 2001 E-mail	Bruinvis is currently working-up for CSST (Captain Sea Shore Training).

Bruinvis did very well on SASWU
Feb 2001 Bruinvis homepage	On 30 Jan 2001 the Bruinvis departed Den Helder for a work-up voyage. After about a week the SASWU (Staff Assistant Safety Work Up) team tested/trained the boat and crew by presenting them many different scenarios. The boat/crew passed the test with flying collars.

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 7
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	-	-	-
	Bruinvis	12 Feb	Departure	Kristiansand, Norway
	Zeeleeuw (2)	-	-	-
	Mercuur (4)	-	-	-

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 6
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	-	-	-
	Bruinvis	5 Feb 9 Feb	Departure Arrival	Kristiansand, Norway Kristiansand, Norway
	Zeeleeuw (2)	-	-	-
	Mercuur (4)	-	-	-

Bruinvis participates in ‘Joint Maritime Course 01-2’
15 Jun 2001	The British maritime exercise ‘Joint Maritime Course 01-2’ will be held in the Northern part of the North Sea and Scotland From 18 to 28 June. A total of 46 ships, 5 submarines and 1400 marines from 13 countries will be part of the exercise. The Royal Netherlands Navy participates with two naval units: The submarine Bruinvis and the mine hunter Vlaardingen.

Three-way battle for Malaysian submarine deal
14 May 2001 JDW	Malaysia is engaging in talks with three European submarine builders as it once more strives to realize long-held ambitions to establish a submarine arm. France's DCN International, RDM Submarines of the Netherlands and the German Turkish Submarine Corporation (led by Germany's Howaldtswerke Deutsche Werft [HDW] and Ferrostaal) have each put forward proposals for the initial transfer of two second-hand boats, to be followed in the longer term by two new-build submarines.

Home		Boats	Tenders	News
			Pictures	Links
	M-media				Help US !
Copyright © 1997-2006 - Design and content DutchSubmarines.com

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 46 - 48
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	...	...	Den Helder, home port
	Dolfijn (4)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Bruinvis	-	-	-
	Zeeleeuw (2)	19 Nov 24 Nov	Departure Arrival	Devonport, England Den Helder, home port
	Mercuur (4)	26 Nov 29 Nov 5 Dec	Departure Arrival Arrival	Bergen, Norway Haakonsvern, Norway Den Helder, Home port

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 43 - 46
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	...	...	Den Helder, home port
	Dolfijn (4)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Bruinvis	23 Oct 24 Oct	Arrival Dry-docked	Den Helder, home port Den Helder, home port
	Zeeleeuw (2)	30 Oct 2 Nov 2 Nov 16 Nov	Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Oslo, Norway Haakonsvern, Norway Haakonsvern, Norway Plymouth, U.K.
	Mercuur (4)	29 Oct 31 Oct 2 Nov 10 Nov 12 Nov	Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Arrival	Den Helder, home port Haakonsvern, Norway Haakonsvern, Norway Bergen, Norway Den Helder, home port

Why Thailand dislikes the Dutch 2nd hand subs
5 Sep 2001 Bangkok Post	Thailand's Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Adm. Prasert Boonsong stated that he was looking for submarines with about 10-15 years of life left. Adm. Prasert added that Italy had offered two submarines, while information has also been received on the two Zwaardvis class boats brought to Malaysia by RDM Submarines last year. However, he said that these boats were considered too big and expensive to maintain. .

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 38 - 42
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	...	...	...
	Dolfijn (4)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder, home port
	Bruinvis	8 Oct 12 Oct 15 Oct 23 Oct 26 Oct 26 Oct	Departure Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	Den Helder, home port. Bergen, Norway Bergen, Norway Ulsnes, Norway Ulsnes, Norway Stavanger, Norway
	Zeeleeuw (2)	24 Sep 28 Sep - 1 Oct 5 Oct - 8 Oct 14 Oct 26 - 30 Oct	Departure Weekend Weekend Arrival Weekend	Den Helder, home port. Plymouth, U.K. Cork, Ireland. Plymouth, UK Oslo, Norway
	Mercuur (4)	17 Sep - 23 Sep 28 Sept 8 Oct 12 Oct 15 Oct	Schip v/d Wacht Arrival Departure Arrival Departure Arrival	- Den Helder, home port. Den Helder, home port. Stavanger, Norway Stavanger, Norway Den Helder, home port

Submarine/Tender dispositions week 3
Various Sources	Walrus (2)	-	Maintenance	Den Helder
	Dolfijn (4)	-	-	Den Helder
	Bruinvis	-	-	Den Helder
	Zeeleeuw (2)	-	-	Den Helder
	Mercuur (4)	22 Jan 26 Jan	Departure Arrival	Den Helder Den Helder