Soviet Submarine: Zulu class submarine, Amsterdam

Soviet submarine in Amsterdam

The Soviet Project 611 or Zulu V class submarine B-80, recently renamed Foxtrot can be found in the Maritime Quarter in Amsterdam North. The Foxtrot used to be a Museum ship in the Dutch Navy port of Den Helder. It was brought to the Netherlands by submarine enthusiasts. Exploitation was probably to expensive and the submarine was sold and is now in use as party location. Unfortunately was the interior dismantled and all original instruments were taken out to make room for it's new purpose. The Foxtrot can not be visited, it can only be rented as party ship. It lay's at rest in the middle of the harbor so it is not easy to get close or have a look on the ship. Comtourist visited the Foxtrot with our boat to photograph it from close and even inside the sail.

Where to find the B-80

The B-80 is located in the Maritime quarter, the former NSDM shipyard in Amsterdam North. The maritime quarter is a nice place to visit when in Amsterdam. Many ships can be seen here like Greenpeace ship Sirius, the clipper Pollux and the English light ship Brightside. There is also a trendy cafe/restaurant "the IJ kantine" where visitors can eat or have a drink with a nice view on the waterfront The Maritime quarter can be reached by a Ferry that goes every half hour from the central station. The Amsterdam government has great plans to further develop the Maritime quarter, so more is to be expected in the future.

Around the submarine

Amsterdam is the home base of Comtourist so we took our boat, crossed the IJ and steamed to the Maritime quarter at the former NDSM shipyard. We first sailed around the B-80 to investigate the sub from all sites. A hammer and sickle is painted on the bow but this is probably done by the current owners. The B-80's bow rises out of the water probably because the engine is taken out. As a result the four bow torpedo tubes can now be seen.

Boarding the submarine

There is a convenient ladder on the port side of the sub so it's quit easy to board the B-80. Once on board we walked around a bid an shot a photographs of the submarine. There are some nice details that catch the eye like a red white hatch leading to the hull of the B-80. An other interesting detail is a rope attached to the sail that can be operated from the control tower.

Inside the sail

Two doors of the sail are open so we went inside to make some photo's of the bridge of the sub. The bridge is used to navigate the submarine when it is surfaced. There are still some original levers, a compass holder and the hatch that takes the crew to the control room. Behind the second door of the sail is a small room with a part of the periscope.

Inside the hull

The interior of the submarine was taken out to fit it for it's curremt role as party loction. Below photo's show the periscope room, the torpedo room, the negine room and the control room before they were domlished. There are a couple of Soviet submarines in Euopre that still have thier full interior and can be visited. Comtourist has allready visited the b-413 in Kalliningrad and the b-515 in Hamburg.

Technical data: Project 611 (Zulu class) attack submarine

History of the Soviet Project 611 submarine

Development of the Soviet navy's attack submarine Project 611 (Nato designation Zulu Class) started in 1950. The design of the Project 611 Diesel submarine was influenced by the German Word War II Type XXI U-boat. The Project 611 submarine was assembled in Severodvinsk and some parts of the submarine were delivered from Leningrad. A total of 26 boats were built, the first entering service in 1952.