Walrus is enroute to the scrapyard on a floating pontoon escorted by tugboats from Den Helder. Scheduled to arrive in Amsterdam this week, she will be dismantled and recycled after more than 30 years of service. Some material will be melted down.
The Walrus was officially decommissioned about three years ago but had already been drydocked prior to that. Since then, the vessel was no longer permitted to use HNLMS before her name. Furthermore, all usable installations and parts have been removed to keep the other submarines operational.
In service
The Navy has fully ‘used up’ the Walrus of the class of the same name. The boat entered service with the Navy in 1992. The vessels, built in Rotterdam at the time, could carry large amounts of supplies and fuel, allowing them to operate for long periods far from home.