Delfinul (Dolphin) is a Kilo class submarine

Kilo class submarine

The Kilo class is the NATO reporting name for a naval diesel-electric submarine that is made in Russia. The original version of the vessels were designated Project 877 Paltus in Russia. There is also a more advanced version, designated as Improved Kilo in the west, and Project 636 Varshavyanka in...

 of the Romanian Naval Forces

Romanian Naval Forces

The Romanian Navy is the navy branch of the Romanian Armed Forces; it operates in the Black Sea and on the Danube.-History:-Development of the Romanian Navy:The Romanian Navy has been founded in 1860 as a river flotilla on the Danube...

. It was commissioned in August 1985 and is currently the only Romania

Romania

Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...

n submarine

Submarine

A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...

 in service. Due to a lack of funding the submarine is inactive since 1995 and kept in reserve docked in the military sector of the Port of Constanţa

Port of Constanta

The Port of Constanța is located in Constanța, Romania, on the western coast of the Black Sea, from the Bosphorus Strait and from the Sulina Branch, through which the Danube river flows into the sea. It covers , of which is land and the rest, , is water. The two breakwaters located northwards...

.

Service

The submarine successfully accomplished 67 missions, with 2000 hours of immersion. During these missions, Delfinul launced 23 torpedoes and 2 naval mines. In 1996, the submarine exhausted the resources of the initial batteries and is kept in reserve since then. After 2001, the submarine was transferred to the "Mircea cel Bătrân" Naval Academy

Mircea cel Batrân Naval Academy

The Mircea cel Bătrân Naval Academy is a higher education institution based in the Black Sea port of Constanţa that trains officers for the Romanian Naval Forces, as well as maritime officers and engineers for the merchant marine.-History:...

, being used as a training ship.