A Dutch navy submarine boasting powerful torpedos designed for taking down nuclear vessels has docked in Edinburgh.
HNLMS Zeeleeuw was spotted on a pit stop in Leith earlier this week as the massive boat was towed into port.
The walrus-class sub, which translates to ‘sea lion,’ has operated under the Netherlands’ flag since 1987 but went through a €94 million modernisation project in 2014.
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That included equipping the vessel with Mark 48 warheads - valued at around $4m each - capable of sinking deep-diving nuclear craft and high performance surface vessels.
The boat has previously participated in major missions as part of a Nato anti-piracy operation in the Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea.
The sub is one of four submarines known to be in operation as part of the Dutch fleet, but its appearance in Edinburgh has been kept under close guard.
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All are named after marine mammals, with the Zeeleeuw joining the Dolfijn, Walrus and Bruinvis, or ‘porpoise,’ on combat manoeuvers across the globe.
A spokesperson for Forth Ports said they were unable to confirm the nature of the boat’s visit, however confirmed they “regularly host naval vessels of many different nationalities at its various ports”.
