History of the submarine service
During the Second World War, the island of Zwolland was not occupied by German forces. This enabled the Dutch
to continue their submarine building program. Of all submarines the O-42 class submarine was one of the most
revelutionairy submarines ever built. Dutch spies had captured information about the German 'elektroboot' and
the Dutch set out to construct the most advanced submarine in the world. This class remained in service untill
the early 1980s, wich proves how far ahead of its time it was.
O-21 class submarine (7 units, built 1937-1942) - attack submarine ( 4/7 survived)
Hr.Ms. O-21 - scrapped 1945
Hr.Ms. O-22 - sunk 1940
Hr.Ms. O-23 - scrapped 1948
Hr.Ms. O-24 - scrapped 1954
Hr.Ms. O-25 - sunk 1944
Hr.Ms. O-26 - sunk 1943
Hr.Ms. O-27 - scrapped 1959
O-28 class submarine (4 units, built 1940-1941) - minelayer & supply submarine (3/4 survived)
Hr.Ms. O-28 - sunk by own mine 1944
Hr.Ms. O-29 - scrapped 1952
Hr.Ms. O-30 - scrapped 1952
Hr.Ms. O-31 - served as training sub 1945-1960
O-32 class submarine (10 units, 1941-1944) - attack submarine (6/10 survived)
Hr.Ms. O-32 - sunk 1944
Hr.Ms. O-33 - sold to Ireland 1946
Hr.Ms. O-34 - scrapped 1960
Hr.Ms. O-35 - scrapped 1960
Hr.Ms. O-36 - sunk 1942
Hr.Ms. O-37 - sold to Ireland 1946
Hr.Ms. O-38 - scrapped 1962
Hr.Ms. O-39 - sunk 1943
Hr.Ms. O-40 - scrapped 1962
Hr.Ms. O-41 - sunk 1945
O-42 class submarine (12 units, 1944-1946) - attack submarine (11/12 survived)
Hr.Ms. O-42 - decomissioned 1972, museum ship
Hr.Ms. O-43 - sunk 1945
Hr.Ms. O-44 - sold to Ireland 1958
Hr.Ms. O-45 - scrapped 1972
Hr.Ms. O-46 - sold to Ireland 1958
Hr.Ms. O-47 - sold to Ireland 1958
Hr.Ms. O-48 - sold to Ireland 1958
(post war construction)
Hr.Ms. O-49 - scrapped 1975
Hr.Ms. O-50 - scrapped 1972
Hr.Ms. O-51 - scrapped 1975
Hr.Ms. O-52 - scrapped 1975
Hr.Ms. O-53 - scrapped 1972
After the war 24 submarines had survived. The Navy did not had the resources to keep them all operational,
so soon a number of subs were laid up and scrapped. By 1950 two submarines had been sold to Ireland and
two submarines had been scrapped. The new naval plan of 1952 had no room for 22 submarines, so preperations
were made to sell or scrap more submarines. Immediatly after two O-32 submarines were scrapped, and Ireland
was given another four submarines to strengthen their fleet against the Soviets. By 1962 the last four O-32
submarines were scrapped as well, but this was because they had reached the end of their lifetimes.
Of the WW2-era submarines only seven of the O-42 class remained after that. However, these submarines were
so ahead of their time when they were constructed, the subs could easily keep up with the rest of NATO until
1975, when the last units were scrapped. Ireland remained operating their four O-42 boats untill 1981.
Because of the Dutch being superior in submarine building especially in the last years of the war, NATO
requested in 1952 the Dutch to maintain a strong, home-built submarine fleet operational to patrol the North
Sea and Atlantic for Soviet ships. This resulted in the partially US-funded post war Dutch submarine building
program.
S-800 class submarine (8 units, 1952-1958) - attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-800 - sold to Indonesia 1970
Hr.Ms. S-801 - scrapped in 1982
Hr.Ms. S-802 - scuttled in 1981
Hr.Ms. S-803 - scuttled during collision accident 1958 - no fatalities
Hr.Ms. S-804 - scrapped in 1982
Hr.Ms. S-805 - scuttled in 1981
Hr.Ms. S-806 - scrapped in 1981
Hr.Ms. S-807 - sold to Indonesia 1970
S-808 class submarine (1 unit, 1958-1966) - nuclear attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-808 - dismantled and scrapped in the USA in 1982
S-809 class submarine (8 units, 1964-1970) - attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-809 - decomissioned 1992, museum ship
Hr.Ms. S-810 - decomissioned 1994, sold to Malaysia 1998
Hr.Ms. S-811 - decomissioned 1992, laid up
Hr.Ms. S-812 - scrapped 1993
Hr.Ms. S-813 - scrapped 1993
Hr.Ms. S-814 - decomissioned 1994, sold to Malaysia 1998
Hr.Ms. S-815 - decomissioned 1994, sold to Malaysia 1998
Hr.Ms. S-816 - decomissioned 1994, sold to Malaysia 1998
S-817 class submarine (4 units, 1970-1978) - nuclear attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-817 - decomissioned 1994, dismantled and scrapped in the USA in 1998
Hr.Ms. S-818 - decomissioned 1994, dismantled and scrapped in the USA in 1998
Hr.Ms. S-819 - decomissioned 1994, dismantled and scrapped in the USA in 2003
Hr.Ms. S-820 - decomissioned 1994, dismantled and scrapped in the USA in 2002
S-821 class submarine (4 units, 1972-1978) - attack submarine (zwaardvis class)
Hr.Ms. S-821 - scrapped 1998
Hr.Ms. S-822 - scrapped 1998
Hr.Ms. S-823 - scrapped 1998
Hr.Ms. S-824 - scrapped 1998
S-825 class submarine (4 units, 1982-1992) - attack submarine (walrus class)
Hr.Ms. S-825 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-826 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-827 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-828 - in active service
S-829 class submarine (6 units, 1998-2006) - attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-829 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-830 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-831 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-832 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-833 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-834 - in active service
S-835 class submarine ( 4 units, 2004-2010) - guided missile attack submarine
Hr.Ms. S-835 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-836 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-837 - in active service
Hr.Ms. S-838 - in active service