Type 206 submarine

Type 206A-class profile
U15 at Kiel Week 2007.
U15 at Kiel Week 2007.
Class overview
Builders
Operators
Preceded byType 205 submarine
Succeeded byType 212 submarine, Type 209 submarine
SubclassesGal-class submarine
Built1969–1975
In commission
  • 1973–2011 (Germany)
  • 2012–present (Colombia)
Completed18
Active2
Retired16
Preserved1
General characteristics
TypeType 206A submarine
Displacement
  • 456 tonnes (449 long tons), surfaced;
  • 500 tonnes (490 long tons), submerged
Length48.49 metres (159 ft 1 in)
Beam4.58 metres (15 ft 0 in)
Draft4.30 metres (14 ft 1 in)
Installed power
  • 440 kilowatts (590 hp) (diesel)
  • 1,100 kilowatts (1,500 hp) (electric)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph), surfaced;
  • 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph), submerged
Range
  • 4,500 nautical miles (8,300 km; 5,200 mi) at 6 knots (11 km/h; 6.9 mph), surfaced
  • 228 nautical miles (422 km; 262 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph), submerged
Test depthmore than 200 m
Complement22
Sensors and
processing systems
  • STN Atlas DBQS-21 (CSU83) submarine sonar
  • Thomson-CSF DUUX 2 passive rangefinder sonar
  • Safare VELOX sonar intercept
  • EDO-900 active mine avoidance sonar
  • Thomson-CSF Calypso II surveillance and navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
  • Thomson-CSF DR-2000U ESM system
  • Thorn-EMI SARIE
Armament

The Type 206 is a class of diesel-electric submarines (U-boats) developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW). Its design is based on the preceding Type 205 submarine class. These small and agile submarines were built during the Cold War to operate in the shallow Baltic Sea and attack Warsaw Pact shipping in the event of military confrontation. The pressure hulls were built out of non-magnetic steel to counter the threat of magnetic naval mines and make detection with MAD sensors more difficult. The low emission profile allowed the submarines in exercises to intrude even into well-protected opposing forces such as carrier formations with their screen.[2]

Programme

Ten Type 205 submarines were constructed between 1962 and 1968 with hulls constructed of a new non-magnetic steel. The early boats, however, suffered from cracking due to stress corrosion and an urgent programme was initiated to develop a new steel which overcame these problems, which received much publicity at the time. The new high-strength, non-magnetic, austenitic steel has greater elasticity and good dynamic strength, and has proved very satisfactory in service, thoroughly overcoming the doubts that were raised by those early problems, although it has never been selected by IKL's many export customers and thus remains unique to German Navy submarines. Subsequently, the Type 206 was designed by Ingenieur Kontor Lübeck (IKL) in 1964–65 and a production order was placed on 7 June 1969 for eight from HDW in Kiel and ten from Nordseewerke in Emden.

Of the 18 submarines built for the Bundesmarine (West German Navy), 12 were modernized in the early 1990s and were re-designated as Type 206A; the others have been decommissioned. The current German Navy is starting to decommission some 206A vessels, with more of the new Type 212 submarines being commissioned. In June 2010 the Ministry of Defence announced that all six remaining vessels were to be retired from active service immediately and to be decommissioned by the end of 2010 to cut costs. There are no type 206 submarines left in active service with the German Navy.[3]

A slightly modified variant of the Type 206 (which includes the distinctive dome, or bulge, in the front of the boat), the Gal-class submarine for the Israeli Navy was built to Israeli specifications as the Vickers Type 540 in the UK rather than Germany for political reasons. Three such boats were built, the first being commissioned in 1976. When the Israeli navy received its new Dolphin-class submarines (also built by HDW), the Gals were retired. As of 2006, one had been scrapped and two had been sent to HDW in an attempt to find a buyer for them. When no buyer was found, one of the submarines was returned to Israel for display in the Clandestine Immigration and Naval Museum.

Modernisation

A major mid-life modernisation was conducted on twelve of these submarines, the boats concerned now being officially designated Type 206A. The work started in mid-1987 and completed in February 1992, being carried out by Nordseewerke, Emden; this upgrade includes:

The STN Atlas DBQS-21D sonar has been fitted, together with new periscopes, and a new weapon control system (LEWA). The ESM system has been replaced and GPS navigation installed. The rebuilt submarines are armed with new torpedoes (Seeaal), and the propulsion system has been comprehensively refurbished, and improvements have been made to the accommodation.

List of units

Pennant
number 		Name Call
sign 		Laid down Launched Commis-
sioned 		Decommis-
sioned 		Fate
S192 U13 DRDG 15 Nov 1969 28 Sep 1971 19 Apr 1973 26 Mar 1997 was to be sold to Indonesia as KRI Nagarangsang (403), scrapped
S193 U14 DRDH 1 Mar 1970 1 Feb 1972 19 Apr 1973 26 Mar 1997 was to be sold to Indonesia as KRI Nagabanda (404), scrapped
S194 U15 DRDI 1 Jun 1970 15 Jun 1972 17 Jul 1974 14 Dec 2010
S195 U16 DRDJ 1 Nov 1970 29 Aug 1972 9 Nov 1973 3 Mar 2011 Sold to Colombia for spare parts
S196 U17 DRDK 1 Oct 1970 10 Oct 1972 28 Nov 1973 14 Dec 2010 Will be preserved as a museum ship at the Technik Museum Sinsheim.[4]
S197 U18 DRDL 1 Apr 1971 31 Oct 1972 19 Dec 1973 3 Mar 2011 Sold to Colombia for spare parts
S198 U19 DRDM 5 Jan 1971 15 Dec 1972 9 Nov 1973 23 Aug 1998 was to be sold to Indonesia as KRI Bramastra (405), scrapped
S199 U20 DRDN 3 Sep 1971 16 Jan 1973 24 May 1974 26 Sep 1996 was to be sold to Indonesia as KRI Aluguro (407), scrapped
S170 U21 DRDO 15 Apr 1971 9 Mar 1973 16 Aug 1974 3 Jun 1998 was to be sold to Indonesia as KRI Cundamani (406), scrapped
S171 U22 DRDP 18 Nov 1971 27 Mar 1973 26 Jul 1974 18 Dec 2008 scrapped
S172 U23 DRDQ 5 Mar 1972 25 May 1974 2 May 1975 3 Mar 2011 Sold to Colombia as ARC Intrépido [1]
S173 U24 DRDR 20 Mar 1972 26 Jun 1973 16 Oct 1974 31 Mar 2011 Sold to Colombia as ARC Indomable [1]
S174 U25 DRDS 1 Jul 1971 23 May 1973 14 Jun 1974 31 Jan 2008 currently for sale[5][dead link]
S175 U26 DRDT 14 Jul 1972 20 Nov 1973 13 Mar 1975 9 Nov 2005 scrapped
S176 U27 DRDU 1 Oct 1971 21 Aug 1973 16 Oct 1974 13 Jun 1996 scrapped
S177 U28 DRDV 4 Oct 1972 22 Jan 1974 18 Dec 1974 30 Jun 2004 scrapped
S178 U29 DRDW 10 Jan 1972 5 Nov 1973 27 Nov 1974 31 Dec 2006 scrapped
S179 U30 DRDX 5 Dec 1972 4 Apr 1974 13 Mar 1975 31 Jan 2007 scrapped

Notes:

  • After its decommissioning, U21 had an ever-changing history: First it should have been sold to Indonesia as Cundamani.[6] These plans were abandoned and U21 would have been scrapped in Itzehoe, had HDW not taken it on for a planned company museum in Kiel. This museum did not materialise, and U21 was gifted to the city of Eckernförde and towed there. For a short time it operated as a tourist attraction/technology museum, but because of local politics it was sold for scrap and broken up.
  • U13, U14, U19 and U20 were also to be sold to Indonesia. Their names would have been Nagarangsang, Nagabanda, Bramastra and Alugoro.[6]
  • February/March 2010 the U26, U28 and U30 were towed by Polish tug Ikar to 's-Gravendeel, Netherlands to be scrapped.[7]
  • U17 and U26 visited New York City for Fleet Week in 1992.

Exports

The Indonesian Navy intended to acquire five Type 206 submarines in 1997 to supplement its submarine fleet, then consisted of two Cakra-class (Type 209/1300) submarines.[6] On 25 September 1997, Indonesian Navy has taken over two Type 206 submarines and planned to refit them, to be followed by three other submarines. Then in June 1998 Indonesia was running out of funds and the procurement program was cancelled.[8] The vessels were already assigned with names and pennant numbers by the Indonesian Navy by the time it was cancelled.[6]

The Colombian Navy purchased four decommissioned Type 206A submarines to boost its submarine force.[9] Two submarines, named Intrépido (ex-U23) and Indomable (ex-U24) were commissioned into the Colombian Navy on 28 August 2012. Two submarines (ex-U16 and ex-U18) were acquired to be cannibalized for spare parts. On 5 December 2015, Intrépido and Indomable entered active service after a lengthy refit in Germany.[10]

Gallery

References

  1. ^ a b c UBoote an Kolumbien übergeben[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ Lutz Nohse, Eberhard Rössler, Moderne Küsten-Uboote, München 1972, ISBN 3-469-00390-4
  3. ^ "Klasse 206 A aus der Fahrbereitschaft genommen". Deutsche Marine. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
  4. ^ "U-Boot U17 | Technik Museum Speyer".
  5. ^ https://www.vebeg.de/web/en/verkauf/browse.htm?DO_SUCHE=1&SUCH_KAT=18&SHOW_AUS=1926290
  6. ^ a b c d "Kapal Selam Type 206 Class – Nyaris Jadi Arsenal Korps Hiu Kencana TNI AL". indomiliter.com (in Indonesian). 10 January 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2023.
  7. ^ Weekblad Schuttevaer of 20 March 2010
  8. ^ Sharpe, Richard (2004). Jane's Fighting Ships 2000-2001. Jane's Information Group. p. 311. ISBN 978-0710620187.
  9. ^ "Colombia buys submarines in anti-drug war". 27 February 2012. Retrieved 29 May 2012.
  10. ^ "Presidente Santos activó dos submarinos de la Armada Nacional". Retrieved 7 December 2015.

Bibliography

  • Karr, Hans (2014). Deutsche Uboote seit 1956 (in German). Stuttgart: Motorbuch. ISBN 9783613037083.

External links

Media related to Type 206 submarine at Wikimedia Commons

  • "Unterseeboot Klasse U206A". GlobalSecurity.org. Global Security.
  • Jane's Major Warships 2003
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