Submarine Museum, Submarine museum in Klebang, Malacca, Malaysia

The Submarine Museum in Klebang, Malacca, is the decommissioned Agosta 70 submarine Quessant (S623), built in France and measuring 67.5 metres long, 11.7 metres high and 6.5 metres wide. It rests outdoors on a red metal cradle over a low concrete base, its grey hull streaked with rust, with a tall tail fin and a stepped conning tower toward the rear.

The Quessant (S623), a French-built Agosta 70-class submarine, trained the first Royal Malaysian Navy crews from 2005 to 2009, last sailing with both navies across the Atlantic in July 2009. Malaysia's ambassador to France signed for its ownership on 23 September 2011, and it left Brest on 9 October 2011, reaching Klebang on 17 November 2011. It opened as a museum on 22 November 2011 and was officially handed to the Malacca state government on 4 March 2012.

Walking through the submarine gives a real sense of how crew members lived and worked in a tight steel tube, with bunks, control panels, and equipment packed into every corner. The contrast between the small interior and the scale of the missions it was built for is something visitors notice right away.

The museum is easy to find along the Klebang waterfront, where signage guides visitors to the entrance. Sturdy shoes are recommended since moving through the submarine means navigating narrow ladders and low hatches.

The submarine was shipped from the French naval base at Brest on 9 October 2011 by Felda Transport Services and Jumbo Shipping, reaching Malaysian waters on 13 November and Klebang on 17 November. Its promotional preview drew 25,000 visitors in ten days, among them Malacca Governor Mohd Khalil Yaakob.