A submarine has been spotted off the Welsh coast by amazed onlookers. The HNLMS Zeeleeuw Walrus-class submarine was seen close to the shore in Penarth over the weekend and on Monday.
Welsh Royal Navy, the Dutch vessel and its support ship, HNLMS Murcuur, visited the area along with 52 crew members. Both berthed in Cardiff docks for an extended long-weekend break while supporting exercises and submarine training with the Royal Navy’s fleet operational standards and training (FOST) organisation.
Denise Sargent said she was delighted to see the submarine making its way up the Bristol Channel when she visited Penarth on Monday evening. You can get more story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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The 65-year-old from Cardiff said: "We went to Penarth for a drive out of the house. I already read that the submarine had been there but we didn't go there to see it. As soon as I saw it I knew what it was, it was amazing to see. You don't expect to see it so close to shore and you could see the people stood on the top. It was really interesting. I was surprised that there were not very many people who gathered to see it, you would have expected it to draw crowds."
Twitter user Stephen Jones also shared a video of the submarine in action. He wrote: "A rare sight. A submarine passing my office window this afternoon being escorted into Cardiff docks."
HNLMS Zeeleeuw is operated by the Royal Netherlands Navy and entered service in 1990 as the first submarine of the Walrus class,. Zeeleeuw has been deployed both for naval exercises and in combat operations around the world.
It also performs intelligence operations and is currently in active service. The £200 million ship is 223ft long and can reach a speed of 23mph when submerged.
A statement from the Welsh Royal Navy said: "The Royal Netherlands Navy submarine HNLMS Zeeleeuw with her crew of 52 is paying a visit to Cardiff, along with her submarine support ship HNLMS Mercuur.
"Both vessels are berthed in Cardiff docks for an extended long-weekend break whilst supporting exercises and submarine training with the Royal Navy’s Fleet Operational Standards & Training (FOST) organisation in UK Waters. The first submarine of the Walrus-class to enter service, HNLMS Zeeleeuw was commissioned in April, 1990, and operates around the world on NATO exercises and combat operations."
Andrew Harston, Regional Director, Wales and Short Sea Ports for Associated British Ports (ABP) added: "ABP would like to extend a warm welcome to the crew of HNLMS Zeeleeuw and HNLMS Mercuur. ABP’s Port of Cardiff is an ideal stop over for international and NATO Naval vessels with its close proximity to the city centre, which makes it ideal for rest and relaxation.”
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