Naming ceremony of fuel cell submarine “U36” for the German Navy in Kiel

One of the most modern non-nuclear submarines in the world was named today at the shipyard of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems GmbH, a company of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions AG, under the name of “U36”. This marks another important milestone in the ongoing shipbuilding programme for the German Navy. U36 is the second boat of the second batch of HDW Class 212A submarines destined for operation in the German Navy. The German town of Plauen has assumed sponsorship for U36. The ultra-modern submarine was named by Silke Elsner, companion to the Mayor.

“We at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems are committed as a naval shipyard enterprise characterised by maximum technological competence, geared first and foremost to the production of non-nuclear submarines and high-end naval surface vessels”, says Andreas Burmester, Chairman of the Board of Directors. “We will shortly be proud to hand over this newly named submarine to the German Navy as another “masterpiece” of German engineering.”

The contract to deliver a second batch of two HDW Class 212A submarines was signed on 22nd September 2006 in Koblenz with the German Office for Military Technology and Procurement/BWB (now the German Office for Equipment, Information Technology and Employment of the Bundeswehr/BAAINBW). The submarine building activities are taking place at the shipyards of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel and Emder Werft- und Dockbetriebe in Emden.

The two additional units will be largely identical to their sister ships from the first batch. They are also equipped with the HDW air-independent fuel cell propulsion system which has already given excellent results in operations with the boats of the first batch. The German Navy submarine U32 gave renewed proof of this in April 2013. On the way to participate in naval exercises in the USA the boat produced a new record for non-nuclear submarines with 18 days in submerged transit without snorkelling.

To meet changes in operational scenarios and to take constant technological advances into account, a number of modifications have been made in the second batch:
• Integration of a communications system for Network Centric Warfare
• Installation of an integrated Sonar and Command and Weapon Control System
• Installation of a superficial lateral antenna sonar
• Replacement of one periscope by an optronics mast
• Installation of a hoistable mast with towable antenna-bearing buoy to enable communication from the deep submerged submarine
• Integration of a lock system for Special Operation Forces
• Tropicalisation to enable world-wide operations.
The Italian Navy has also decided in favour of a second batch of two HDW Class 212A submarines, which are being built under licence by the Italian shipyard Fincantieri. That means that the Italian Navy will soon also have four boats of this class available for operations.
U36 – Technical Data:
General boat data:
Length over all: approx. 57 m
Height including sail: approx. 11.5 m
Maximum hull diameter: approx. 7 m
Displacement: approx. 1,500 t
Crew: 28
Pressure hull built of non-magnetic steel

Small Boats – Big Gains!

As domestic economies change into a global market, dependent on the ocean for energy, food and transportation, the open seas becoming contested areas, and pirates, outlaws and terrorists using isolated littorals as safe haven, prowling waterways and the open sea along international merchant routes, no wonder that governments are looking for new means to deal with the new challenges. Submariners World reports from IMDEX 2013.

Changing interest span from securing off-shore assets throughout littoral and Economical Exclusion Zone (EEZ), protecting economical rights including fishery, mineral resources and merchant marine routes. Coastal protection, particularly addressing terror threats and infiltration from the sea, is also critical in defending urban centers, key infrastructure, port facilities, power stations and other strategic assets.

With the rising costs of maritime security, government agencies are interested in smaller, highly versatile boats that could operate effectively in peacetime, emergency and at war. Boats that can effectively chase smugglers, and human traffickers, defeat well-armed terror attacks and become part of the nation’s maritime power in time of war.

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An affordable ‘interceptor’ type boat, Mini-Dvora enables fast and highly responsive teams to efficiently cover large areas from forward operating bases. Requiring low maintenance and minimal shore support, these boats can efficiently operate either under naval flotillas or independently, from small port facilities under coast guard control. Forward deployment can dramatically save transit time back and forth to their patrol areas, further improving utilization and lowering operating cost. With smaller boats, lower fuel costs, and minimal crews, life cycle cost of small boats is significantly lower than larger vessels. Moreover, preventive maintenance is also shorter – requiring few weeks every two years to bring the boat back in shape.

The SDMR variant uses a the Super-Dvora Mk III hull designed with a modular approach, enabling the customer to integrate specific mission systems, thus modifying the boat for new missions. These include coastal defense, surface attack, command and control etc.

The Navguard radar developed by IAI Elta Systems is a common system shared by all configurations. This radar detects all types of threats, including guided or unguided missiles fired at the boat. The system is configured in a four-panel scheme, fully integrated with signal processing and target acquisition necessary to drive active protection systems. The system’s modules are connected via fiber-optical links, for maximum speed and security. The system uses fiber-optical has already been tested at sea, proving excellent results. A unique capability offering the SDMR a high level of survivability, particularly against asymmetric threats,

In addition to self-protection, the boat is also equipped with a stabilized electro-optical payload with an integrated laser designation capability, supporting precision attack weapons. Other sensors include passive EO, communications (COMINT) and other electronic signals detector ESM.

According to Ramta, on the SMDR, a crew of 10 can effectively fulfill all tasks. The key to such efficiency is newly designed Combat Information Center (CIC) and operating consoles. Instead of dedicating specific console for each task (detection, identification, defensive systems, offensive systems, situational display, communications etc.) IAI introduced a common, compact operating station integrating all functions into a single display, similar to those used in the cockpit of fighter aircraft. Specific tasks are shown on different displays, integrated into the situational picture, which also supports routine operations. A typical CIC layout in the SDMR comprises three common and interchangeable workstations that support regular operations in peacetime and can be easily reconfigured into detection, defense and offense workstations at war. To simplify these tasks the system employs extensive automation to simplify and expedite certain processes by minimizing user interactions.

 Eventually, IAI/Ramta plans to expand the Super Dvora to unmanned surface vessels, extending capabilities developed and fielded by the company in the past 30 years. Such autonomous vessels would establish routine patrols, generate the marine situational picture required for operation and security, supporting manned and unmanned operators with maximum security at an affordable cost.

RN Submarines - May 15th

1943	Verve	Submarine HMS Verve laid down
1918	L5	Submarine HMS L5 completed
1919	L18	Submarine HMS L18 completed
1933	Clyde	Submarine HMS Clyde laid down
1944	Upshot	Submarine HMS Upshot completed
1960	Otter	Submarine HMS Otter launched
1968	Courageous	Submarine HMS Courageous laid down
1943	HMS Sickle	HMS Sickle torpedoes and sinks the German auxiliary submarine chaser UJ-2213/Heureux south of Nice, southern France.
1943	HMS Rorqual	HMS Rorqual lays 50 mines off Punta Stilo, Calabria, Italy.
1944	HMS Ultor	HMS Ultor attacks and damages a French fishing vessel with gunfire off Cape Camarat, southern France.
1945	HMS Statesman	HMS Statesman sinks a Japanese coaster with gunfire in the Strait of Malacca.
1945	HMS Tiptoe	HMS Tiptoe sinks a Japanese coaster with gunfire of Sumbawa Island, Netherlands East Indies.
1945	Clyde	HMS Clyde sinks a Japanese sailing vessel with gunfire of the west coast of Siam.

Thanks to - Barrow Submarine Association

Ghost Boat

Cold War Submarine Veterans

Link to Cold War Submarine Veterans

CWSV Lost Shipmates

Link to CWSV Lost Shipmates

Science in Action - Cold War Submarines

The Friday Documentary - How to Build A Nuclear Submarine

Cold War Submarine Veterans

When Al Charette traveled to the North Pole, he went under it.

The USS Nautilus, the world's first nuclear-powered submarine, made history when it reached the North Pole on August 3, 1958, beneath the ice.

Charette, who was part of that Cold War crew, recalls how this milestone was of much more significance than being a historical first.

"What we did," he says, "is really expose 3,000 miles of coastline of the U.S.S.R."

Submarines, which submariners call boats, played a pivotal role in intelligence gathering and nuclear deterrence at a time of political tension between the United States and Soviet Union. Attack submarines sought out and tracked Soviet ballistic missile submarines, while U.S. Navy missile boats tried to keep from being discovered.

"We didn't want to make any kind of a noise that a fish didn't make, " the 79-year-old Charette remembers.

The Cold War may be remembered as a conflict without any battles, but for submariners, the danger on the front lines was real.

Jack Gallimore started on diesel-electric submarines, including the USS Hardhead and the USS Sablefish in 1958. Cat-and-mouse games of two superpowers aside, risks remain even today for sailors who head out beneath the waves, says Gallimore, now 73.

"All the submariners," he says, "when they go to sea, they're in harm's way."

Gallimore remembers an incident that happened during the turnover of older diesel subs to the Greek navy. He and other crew members acted as observers during the training phase. During a dive, the boat angled down steeply and the propellers shook. The sub managed to surface eventually, yet Gallimore insisted the danger was part of the job.

"We've all experienced when something went wrong," Gallimore says.

Before any sailor can be called a submariner, he has to earn his "dolphins," a pin that's the equivalent to a pilot's wings. The sailors must qualify on the submarines they are to serve by knowing the systems inside and out. The training and testing are rigorous.

Greg Kane, 63, another Cold War veteran, qualified on the ballistic missile sub USS George C. Marshall. Earning that qualification was an enormous source of pride, he says.

"When you had those dolphins on," he says, "you were a submariner. You were a part of the brotherhood of the fin."

The standards to be part of that "brotherhood" exist to this day. Surrounded by a hostile environment at all times while submerged, any mistake by a single submariner could prove dangerous or even fatal for the entire crew.

"My life depended on my other shipmates," says retired Master Chief Bud Atkins, 77, "and it didn't matter whether they were a seaman or a captain." Atkins, who spent time in diesel-electric and nuclear-powered boats, served below the waves from 1950 to 1980, when he retired.

In addition to meeting these tough standards, submariners also faced the responsibility of knowing their boats might have to launch nuclear warheads at a foreign country. Kane, who maintained the launching systems for Polaris missiles during the Vietnam War era, says crew members underwent vigorous psychological testing well before even seeing a submarine.

Various scenarios were thrown at them: What if your boat was called to launch a strike? Could you do it?

"The whole idea was really being aware of what the world situation was, what the dire consequences would be if you ever had to go through it and what would happen ... if you didn't have a deterrent force out there to stop something like that from happening," Kane says.

Tom Russell, whose 20-year Navy career took him on a variety of vessels, also served on fleet ballistic missile boats in the 1960s.

"We just hoped that every time we went to battle stations that it was a drill because we all knew if it was not a drill, home would be in pieces," says Russell, 82.

All these retired submariners speak of their service with pride, but they are guarded when it comes to details of their missions long ago.

Charette grows nostalgic when recalling how a submarine could be in harbor or along a coastline and go unnoticed. Or suddenly surface somewhere unexpectedly just to send a message.

Asked if he could describe any of these experiences, he replies with a grin, "Not that I care to talk about."

The Sunday Movie - Submarine Attack (1954)