Schorpioen, Buffel, and the afterlives of Dutch ironclads

What became of Buffel, and what do these ships show about the longevity of iron-hulled ironclads?

Buffel survives as a museum ship at Hellevoetsluis, while the wider comparison shows that strongly built iron hulls could be upgraded and retained for decades.

The exchange locates HNLMS Buffel at the former fortress city of Hellevoetsluis after years beside Rotterdam's Maritime Museum. The viewer contrasts her survival with the less successful treatment of comparable ships elsewhere. Schorpioen and Buffel illustrate how strongly built iron hulls could accept upgrades rather than becoming obsolete after one configuration. Their long afterlives therefore reveal both the durability of early ironclads and the institutional value of continuing to invest in them.