The Polish Navy decommissioned the first of its four Kobben-class submarines – ORP Kondor – in a ceremony at the naval port in Gdynia on December 20.
With 50 years of service behind them, the remaining three submarines in the class are also set to be decommissioned in the near future.
Kondor and its sister vessels are an export version of the German Type 205 boats built for the Royal Norwegian Navy by Nordseewerke GmbH in the 1960s. Norway transferred all of its Kobben submarines to Denmark and Poland between 1989 and 2003.
Denmark has already decommissioned all boats in the class and only three units remain in Polish Navy service.
During its 13 years of service with the Polish Navy, ORP Kondor traveled a total of 42,000 nautical miles and spent 600 days underway.
The submarine contributed to NATO’s counter-terrorism operation Active Endeavor deploying to the Mediterranean Sea from October 2008 to March 2009. Kondor was also sent to take part in international drills like Baltops, Brilliant Mariner and NATO Response Force exercises.
Kobben submarines measure 47.2 meters in length, displace 572 tons while submerged and reach a maximum speed of 18 knots. They are capable of operating at depths of up to 200 meters.