The Royal Netherlands Navy submarine
Bruinvis [translation: harbour porpoise] arrived in Halifax early this afternoon to tie up at HMC Dockyard.
Had the sub intended to make an anonymous arrival, it very nearly succeeded as a rainy, drizzly fog had descended on the harbour. Ferries
Christopher Stannix (alongside) and
Halifax III (arriving) in the foreground are much more visible, however the sub's "backwards ball cap" extension on the sail makes it readily distinguishable from one of ours.
The Atlantic Pilotage Authority pilot was transferred to the sub from the pilot boat by a Rigid Hull Inflatible Boat [RHIB] and the sub was met by an RCN
Ville class pup tug, with
Glenside hovering in the vicinity, until needed for docking.
Visiting submarines are rare, and non-nuclear subs are even rarer.This sub was laid down in 1980, launched in 1992 and commissioned July 5, 1994, making it a veteran in the sub world. It is diesel electric powered and can achieve 21 knots
surfaced submerged and 13 knots
submerged surfaced, and its main weaponry is torpedoes.
.