At age 18, Dirk Scalongne joined the Dutch marine. After a stint in the Dutch East Indies, he was stationed in Den Helder. Hearing about the Dutch Navy developing its first submarine, Scalongne decided to sign up for duty. In 1907, he became one of the first commanders of the O1 (Onderzeese boot 1), the first Dutch submarine. Scalongne remained closely involved with submarines for most of his career, serving as commander of the Submarine Service, as well as the Submarine Stations in Den Helder and Surabaya (East Indies). He retired in 1934, having rising to the rank of rear admiral. Having picked up fencing in the Dutch East Indies, Scalongne first appeared in international competition in 1909. A sabre fighter only, he ranked third in the Dutch qualifier for the 1912 Olympics, enough to fence in the team sabre competition. The Dutch squad made the final pool. After losing to Hungary and Austria, the Dutch tied Bohemia 8-8. They won the match by the number of touches delivered, giving them the narrowest of margins to earn the bronze medal. After the outbreak of the First World War, Scalongne did not return to fencing.
Netherlands