The ''Ula'' class is a
Norwegian
Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to:
*Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe
* Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway
* Demographics of Norway
*The Norwegian language, including ...
submarine
A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...
type which was assembled in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The class, consisting of six vessels, is currently the only submarine type in service with the
Royal Norwegian Navy
The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, 3 ...
.
History
The ordering of a new Norwegian submersible design stemmed from a 1972 decision to modernise the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) submarine flotilla, which then consisted of the aging submarines. The contract was signed on 30 September 1982 for six boats with
Thyssen Nordseewerke,
Emden
Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528.
History
The exact founding date of E ...
. An option for two more submarines was included in the original deal, however, it was never picked up.
[Gardiner & Chumbly, 1995. p.292]
The construction of the vessels was an international project. The combat systems were made in Norway by
Kongsberg
Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and municipality in Buskerud, Viken county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. Kongsberg has been a centre of silver mining, arms production ...
, the attack sonar is
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
and the flank sonars
French. The hull sections were produced in Norway and assembled in Germany by Thyssen Nordseewerke. In Germany, the design is known as the ''U-Boot-Klasse 210''.
When commissioned, the ''Ula''s were the first Norwegian submarines to have enough bunks for the entire crew and a
shower
A shower is a place in which a person bathes under a spray of typically warm or hot water. Indoors, there is a drain in the floor. Most showers have temperature, spray pressure and adjustable showerhead nozzle. The simplest showers have a ...
.
The ''Ula''-class submarines are among the most silent and maneuverable submarines in the world. This, in combination with their relatively small size, makes them difficult to detect from surface vessels and ideal for operations in coastal areas. The ''Ula'' class is regarded as both the most effective and cost-effective weapons in the RNoN.
Ship history
In 1989, while undergoing trials, ''Ula'' was damaged by a practice torpedo. In March 1991, ''Uredd'' was involved in an accident while docking. In February 1992, ''Uredd'' suffered a control room fire.
[
In recent years, several submarines of the ''Ula'' class have been deployed in the ]Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
in support of the NATO Operation Active Endeavour
Operation Active Endeavour was a maritime operation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It operated in the Mediterranean Sea and was designed to prevent the movement of terrorists or weapons of mass destruction. It had collateral benefit ...
, where their intelligence-gathering ability surpassed expectations. Their operational availability proved to be highest of all ships taking part in the operation. This mission highlighted a need for better temperature regulation for crew comfort in warm waters. As a result, HNoMS ''Ula'' was "tropicalized" by the installation of new cooling systems, and two more of the class designated for "tropicalization".
Future submarine capability
During 2006-2008 the ''Ula'' class was slated for modernisation. Most notably, new communication equipment (Link 11
TADIL-A/Link 11 is a secure half-duplex tactical data link used by NATO to exchange digital data. It was originally developed by a joint committee including members from the Canadian Navy, US Navy and Royal Navy to pass accurate targeting inform ...
), new electronic warfare support measures
In military telecommunications, electronic support (ES) or electronic support measures (ESM) gather intelligence through passive "listening" to electromagnetic radiations of military interest. They are an aspect of electronic warfare involving ac ...
and a periscope upgrade. In May 2008, a contract for new sonars was signed, with the first submarine to have new sonar 21 months after that, and the last 52 months later.[ Furthermore, Kongsberg was contracted in 2012 to upgrade the submarines' combat systems. The 2020 long-term defence plan envisages the ''Ula'' class being kept in service until replaced by the new Type 212CD submarines in around 2030.
In 2012 the Norwegian MoD set 2014 as a deadline for deciding whether to further extend the operative life of the Ula class after their slated end-of-life in 2020, or to replace them with a new fleet. In December 2014, the Norwegian Ministry of Defence made the decision to begin the process of replacing the ''Ula''s. As part of that decision, the ''Ula''-class submarines would be kept in service for a further five years, but would not exceed 35 years total service as that would be too costly. Given the delay in replacing the Ula-class, it was subsequently decided to further life-extend the Ula-class through the 2020s until a new class of submarines entered service.
In 2016, two suppliers (DCNS and Thyssen Krupp) were shortlisted to provide competing options to replace the Ula-class boats. In February 2017, Thyssen Krupp was selected to provide four replacement submarines based on the Type 212-class for service entry in around 2030. A firm build contract had been anticipated in the first half of 2020. However, as of the end of 2020, the contract had not yet been signed. In March 2021 it was indicated that an agreement had been reached between Norway and Germany to initiate the acquisition program, pending approval by the ]Bundestag
The Bundestag (, "Federal Diet") is the German federal parliament. It is the only federal representative body that is directly elected by the German people. It is comparable to the United States House of Representatives or the House of Commons ...
. The contract was signed in July 2021 and construction of the first vessel is to begin in 2023. Delivery of the first boat to the Royal Norwegian Navy is anticipated in 2029.
Vessels
Six submarines were delivered (1989–1992) to the RNoN. All are based at Haakonsvern
Haakonsvern is the main base of the Royal Norwegian Navy and the largest naval base in the Nordic area. The base is located at Mathopen within Bergen municipality, about 15 km south-west of the city centre. Around 5,400 people work at the base ...
in Bergen
Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...
. The boats are all named after places in Norway, with the exception of ''Uredd'' ("Fearless" in English), in honour of the World War II submarine . The ship prefix
A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...
for RNoN vessels is KNM (''Kongelig Norsk Marine'', Royal Norwegian Navy), in English HNoMS (His Norwegian Majesty's Ship).
Vessel list
See also
* - new Scandinavian submarine abandoned in 2004
* - new Swedish submarine, successor to the Viking
*List of Royal Norwegian Navy ships
This article is a list of Royal Norwegian Navy fleet units and vessels, both past and present.
Ships from the years 1509 to 1814 might be listed under Royal Dano-Norwegian Navy.
Fleet units and vessels (present)
Frigates
*
** Mo, Sver ...
*List of submarine classes in service
The list of submarine classes in service includes all submarine classes currently in service with navies or other armed forces worldwide. For surface combatants, see the list of naval ship classes in service.
Ballistic missile submarines
C ...
References
Citations
Books
*
*
External links
U 212 CD, the next Norwegian submarine, yes but what for? (1/2)
U 212 CD, the next Norwegian submarine, yes but what for? (2/2)
dead link
Østlandets Blad, "Fire dager i dypet"
*Dagbladet
''Dagbladet'' (lit.: ''The Daily Magazine'') is one of Norway's largest newspapers and is published in the tabloid format. It has 1,400,000 daily readers on mobile, web and paper. Traditionally ''Dagbladet'' is considered the main liberal newsp ...
articles about the class:
"Oppdaterer ubåtene"
{{Active naval ships of Norway
Submarine classes
Ships built in Emden
Submarines of Germany