Netherlands scraps HNLMS Walrus submarine that simulated sinking of US aircraft carrier in 1999 exercise.

On October 12, 2026, the Royal Netherlands Navy confirmed the transport of the former submarine HNLMS Walrus from Den Helder to Amsterdam for dismantling and recycling. Famous for penetrating carrier defenses during a 1999 NATO exercise to execute the simulated sinking of the USS Theodore Roosevelt, the 68-meter vessel arrived via the North Sea Canal on a floating pontoon. Its final disposal follows the systematic recovery of operational components to support remaining active Walrus-class units pending the arrival of new Orka-class submarines.

On October 12, 2026, the Netherlands sent the HNLMS Walrus for scrapping, ending the history of a submarine famously known for simulating the sinking of the US carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt and its eight escorting warships during a 1999 exercise. (Picture source: Dutch MoD)

On October 12, 2026, the Royal Netherlands Navy announced the scrapping of the HNLMS Walrus (S802), a 68-meter diesel-electric submarine retired in 2023 after 31 years of service and 3,000 days at sea. Transported from Den Helder to Amsterdam aboard a floating pontoon escorted by three tugboats, including the Eems Warrior, the submarine arrived that evening via the North Sea Canal. Its remaining hull will be dismantled, scrapped, and recycled, with some metal components melted down at an undisclosed location, following the recovery of usable equipment for the three other Walrus-class submarines. Commissioned on March 25, 1992, and retired on October 12, 2023, the Walrus conducted 14 operational deployments, including intelligence missions monitoring Iranian naval activities and Caribbean narcotics trafficking.

During the 1999 JTFEX 99-1 exercise, it famously approached the USS Theodore Roosevelt undetected to within 1,500 meters, and simulated the sinking of the aircraft carrier and its eight escorting warships. Its disposal precedes the Zeeleeuw (S803)'s planned retirement later in 2026, leaving the Dolfijn (S808) and the Bruinvis (S810) operational until four French-built Orka-class submarines begin arriving between 2033 and 2037. The Zr.Ms. Walrus was constructed by Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM) in Rotterdam, with its keel laid on October 11, 1979, and its hull launched on October 28, 1985. A fire in the command center in 1986 delayed commissioning until March 25, 1992, allowing the HNLMS Zeeleeuw (S803) to enter service first in 1990.

Related topic: US Navy submarine crisis worsens as first Improved Los Angeles-class submarine USS San Juan retires

During 1990 trials, the Walrus exceeded the previous Dutch submarine depth benchmark of 220 meters despite concerns about fire damage, before entering service on March 25, 1992. The four-vessel program cost 2 billion Dutch guilders (corresponding to an estimated €2.2 billion in 2026), exceeding initial estimates by 65% and triggering the Walrus affair. The HNLMS Dolfijn (S808) and HNLMS Bruinvis (S810) entered service in 1993 and 1994, while the retirement of the two Zwaardvis-class submarines in 1994 reduced the country's inventory from six to four, leaving the Walrus-class responsible for all Dutch submarine operations for the following three decades. The Walrus-class measured 68 meters in length, 8.5 meters in beam, and 7.5 meters in draught, with a displacement of 2,450 tonnes surfaced and 2,800 tonnes submerged.

Its diesel-electric propulsion system produced 3,132 kW, enabling speeds of 11 knots (20.4 km/h) surfaced and 20 knots (37 km/h) submerged, with a diving capability exceeding 300 meters. Four 533 mm torpedo tubes accommodated up to 20 Mk 48 heavyweight torpedoes. Automated machinery controls, valves, and operating functions reduced the crew from 70 aboard earlier Dolfijn-class submarines to 50, a 28.6% reduction, while quieter machinery and newer sonar improved passive detection and reduced the submarine's vulnerability to acoustic surveillance. Two accommodation decks, individual berths, and seawater desalination allowed daily showers instead of one every five days aboard the previous generation, improving crew conditions during extended deployments.

Across its more than 31 years in commission, the HNLMS Walrus spent 3,000 days at sea, equivalent to an annual average of 95 sea days, including exercises, trials, training, and operational assignments, while its 14 deployments represented one formally assigned operation every 2.25 years. Shortly after entering service, the Walrus conducted a classified mission in the Mediterranean, followed by intelligence operations in the Persian Gulf in 2002, where it monitored Iranian naval activities. That deployment placed the submarine near maritime approaches connecting the Persian Gulf with the Strait of Hormuz, through which Iranian naval vessels and commercial shipping transit. In 2007, the Walrus operated in the Caribbean collecting intelligence on narcotics trafficking and regional maritime movements, while other Walrus-class operations involved the former Yugoslavia, anti-piracy missions, and northern waters.

The class could also support special operations forces, reconnaissance of coastlines, mine warfare, and anti-submarine training for frigates and maritime helicopters. The HNLMS Walrus famously demonstrated its tactical advantages during JTFEX 99-1 in 1999, when it operated against the fourth Nimitz-class carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), eight escorting warships, and supporting anti-submarine aircraft. Commanded by Jan Hubert Hulsker, the submarine managed to penetrate the carrier formation's defensive screen while remaining undetected. It approached the USS Theodore Roosevelt to a distance of 1,500 meters, from which Hulsker discharged two green smoke grenades, representing a successful simulated torpedo attack. The Walrus subsequently maneuvered beneath the aircraft carrier as the defending ships attempted to locate it, before achieving simulated engagements against the eight escorts and disengaging amid the acoustic activity generated by the formation.

The exercise also demonstrated the limitations of relying on escort numbers alone for anti-submarine protection, since detection also depends on sonar conditions, sensor coverage, submarine acoustic emissions, and the defending force's search procedures. In April 2022, the Netherlands decided to retire two Walrus-class submarines rather than modernize all four, concentrating available maintenance capacity and spare parts on the vessels required to remain operational until the next decade. Consequently, the HNLMS Walrus was formally withdrawn on October 12, 2023, after having remained ashore since 2018, never completing the Instandhoudingsprogramma Walrusklasse (IP-W) life-extension program, and being stripped of reusable equipment for the Zeeleeuw, Dolfijn, and Bruinvis.

The Zeeleeuw, commissioned in 1990, is scheduled for withdrawal later in 2026, leaving Dolfijn and Bruinvis, commissioned in 1993 and 1994 respectively, to maintain Dutch submarine operations into the 2030s. By 2033, those two submarines will have reached 40 and 39 years since commissioning, compared with Walrus's 31 years and six months when retired. Thus, recovering components from retired submarines reduces dependence on increasingly scarce replacement parts but does not eliminate age-related failures or maintenance downtime. Under a contract signed on September 30, 2024, the French Naval Group will build four Orka-class submarines, named Orka, Zwaardvis, Barracuda, and Tijgerhaai, to replace the Walrus-class submarines.

Based on the conventionally powered Blacksword Barracuda design, these submarines will incorporate higher-capacity batteries, improved intelligence sensors, special forces facilities, and both torpedo and cruise missile launchers. The Netherlands also contracted Naval Group for F21 electrically propelled, wire-guided heavyweight torpedoes on June 15, 2026, while the construction of the submarines is scheduled to begin in 2027. Deliveries are planned from 2033 to 2037, as Den Helder's Nieuwe Haven facilities require modifications for the larger vessels. The transition also shifts complete submarine construction from Rotterdam to France, with Dutch companies participating through industrial cooperation and sustainment arrangements.

Reducing the Dutch submarine force during the transition from four vessels to two cuts its theoretical annual hull availability from 1,460 to 730 submarine days before maintenance, training, and other restrictions are included. One submarine undergoing maintenance would remove 50% of the remaining inventory, compared with 25% previously, while simultaneous maintenance would leave no deployable vessel. The Netherlands has acknowledged that aging-related failures and additional maintenance reduce actual sea days, with shore-based simulators partly compensating for lost training opportunities. The future four-submarine force is planned to have five crews, providing personnel flexibility beyond a one-crew-per-submarine arrangement. Dutch transition planning anticipates operating both submarine classes between 2030 and 2035, under which Dolfijn and Bruinvis remain in service until the first two Orka-class submarines can assume their operational responsibilities.

Explore More Defense News

• Land Defense News
• Naval Defense News
• Defense Aerospace News

Written by Jérôme Brahy

Jérôme Brahy is a defense analyst and documentalist at Army Recognition. He specializes in naval modernization, aviation, drones, armored vehicles, and artillery, with a focus on strategic developments in the United States, China, Ukraine, Russia, South Korea, Türkiye, and Belgium. His analyses go beyond the facts, providing context, identifying key actors, and explaining why defense news matters on a global scale.