Dolfijn-class submarine

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Class overview
Dutch submarine HNLMS Dolfijn (1960)
Name:	Dolfijn
Operators:	Royal Netherlands Navy
Built:	1954-1966
In service:	1960-1992
Completed:	4
Retired:	4
Preserved:	1
General characteristics
Type:	submarine
Displacement:	1,530 tons (surfaced) 1,826 tons (submerged)
Length:	79.5 m
Beam:	7.8 m
Draught:	5.0 m
Propulsion:	2 shafts, diesel electric. 2 MAN type diesels (2800 hp) and two electric motors 4000 hp
Speed:	14.5 knots (surfaced) 17 knots (submerged)
Complement:	67
Sensors and processing systems:	Radar type 1001, Sonar: passive and active
Armament:	8 533mm (21 inch torpedo tubes) 4 bow, 4 stern, 16-22 torpedoes, fitted for minelaying via torpedo tubes

The Dolfijn class submarines of the Royal Netherlands Navy are a class of four submarines, the Dolfijn, Zeehond, Potvis and Tonijn, Which were built in the late 1950s and the early 1960s. They were the first indigenous submarines built for the Netherlands Navy after World War II.

Design

The Dolfijn class is a special Dutch design and has three separate pressure hulls arranged in a triangle and enclosed in external steel casing. The upper hull for the living/working part of the crew and the lower two hulls were for the engines, batteries and storage rooms. This allows the submarine to dive much deeper than other submarines from the late 1950s, with a maximum diving depth of 200 m. The designer was F Gunning.

The order for second group of boats, also known as the Potvis class was postponed in the late 1950s while the possibility of building a nuclear powered submarine was considered and rejected. The order for two boats was re-instated in 1962. These boats had their diesels replaced and electronics updated in 1978-79.

The Zeehond was converted into a trials ship by RDM shipyard in Rotterdam in 1990 and used as a technology demonstrator for a closed cycle diesel air independent propulsion system until 1994.

The Boats

Ship	Builder	Laid down	Launched	Commissioned	Fate
Dolfijn	Rotterdamse Droogdok Mij	30 December 1954	20 May 1959	16 December 1960	Broken up 1985
Zeehond	Rotterdamse Droogdok Mij	30 December 1954	20 February 1960	16 March 1961	Test ship 1990, Scrapped 1997
Potvis-class
Potvis	Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam	17 September 1962	12 January 1965	2 November 1965	Decommissioned 1992, Broken up 1994
Tonijn	Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam	26 October 1962	14 June 1965 1965	24 February 1966	Decommissioned 1991, preserved in the Dutch Navy Museum in Den Helder.

References and external links

Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995
Specifications and histories
Illustrated information on Tonijn

v t e Dolfijn-class submarines

Dolfijn Potvis Tonijn Zeehond

Preceded by: Walrus-class submarine Followed by: Zwaardvis-class submarine List of submarines of the Netherlands

v t e Dutch naval ship classes post 1945

Aircraft carriers	Karel Doorman^B^D^S

Amphibious transport docks	Rotterdam^S Johan de Witt^S

Cruisers	De Zeven Provinciën^D

Destroyers	Holland^D Friesland^D

Frigates	Van Speijk^D Tromp^D Kortenaer^D Jacob van Heemskerck^D Karel Doorman De Zeven Provinciën

Mine warfare vessels	Dokkum^D Alkmaar

Patrol vessels	Holland

Submarines	Walrus^A^D Dolfijn^D Zwaardvis^D Walrus

Replenishment ships	Zuiderkruis^S^D Amsterdam^S Karel Doorman^S^U

A American built B British built D Decommissioned S Single ship of class U Under construction

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