[1] Following World War II, the Royal Danish Navy which had lost the majority of its fleet during the German invasion, was restocked with ex-British Royal Navy submarines on loan and salvaged Danish submarines that had been scuttled during the war.

Denmark joined NATO and was assigned the defence of the Baltic Sea which led to an emphasis on submarines.

[8] The Delfinen class marked the Royal Danish Navy's first new submarines in the post war era.

[2] The class remained in service until the beginning of the 1980s, when the Royal Danish Navy intended to replace them with former Norwegian Kobben-class submarines in 1986.

Only three Kobben-class units were acquired due to a lack of funds and Springeren remained in service until 1990.