HR MS Buffel

Hr Ms Buffel was the first of three (Buffel, Schorpioen and Stier) ironclad turret-ram ships built for the Royal Netherlands Navy between 1867 and 1869. Her mission was coastal defense in the North Sea. The submerged bow ram was intended to disable an enemy warship either by making holes in it below the waterline, or by shearing off its rudder. The rotating turret-mounted gun increased the arc of fire and provided protection for the gun and gunners.

Buffel never engaged an enemy vessel during her 17 years in commission. Following her retirement from active service, Buffel became an accommodation ship, first at Hellevoetsluis and later at Den Helder. She served for many years as a stationary training hulk in the Amsterdam Navy Yard where she survived World War II. She is now fully restored as a museum ship.