The ''Västergötland'' class of
diesel-electric submarine
A submarine (often shortened to sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. (It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability.) The term "submarine" is also sometimes used historically or infor ...
s entered service in 1987 in the
Swedish Navy allowing the last
Draken II class of subs to be retired.
History
Following award of the design contract on 17 April 1978 and the construction contract on 8 December 1981 to
Kockums AB, building commenced for four boats of the class (''Västergötland'', ''Hälsingland'', ''Södermanland'', and ''Östergötland'') which were built between 1983 and 1988. The latter two have undergone comprehensive refits, including the insertion of a new hull section with an
air-independent propulsion
Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen (by surfacing or using a snorkel). AIP can augment or replace th ...
system equipped with
Stirling engine
A Stirling engine is a heat engine that is operated by the cyclic expansion and contraction of air or other gas (the ''working fluid'') by exposing it to different temperatures, resulting in a net conversion of heat energy to mechanical Work (ph ...
s. They have been recommissioned in 2003–2004 as the new .
''Västergötland'' and ''Hälsingland'' were put in reserve until November 2005, when they were sold to the
Republic of Singapore Navy
The Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) is the Naval warfare, maritime Military branch, service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for defending the country against any seaborne threats and as a guarantor of its sea lines of ...
as the . They were refitted to ''Södermanland'' class standards and received additional climatisation for use in tropical waters, and relaunched in 2009–2010.
''Östergötland'' was decommissioned in 2021, leaving ''Södermanland'' as the last remaining ship of the class in Swedish service.
Design
The Type A17 attack submarines were designed for the Swedish Navy as replacements for the
Draken II-class submarines and incorporates the best properties from the preceding and es. Requirements called for a multi-role submarine to carry out a variety of missions involving attack, mining, surveillance, anti-submarine, and interjection of Special Forces. It features a two-deck single-hull design with two watertight compartments divided by a centre watertight bulkhead controlled using an X-configuration rudder/after hydroplane design.
Submarines of the ''Västergötland'' class had greater submarine hunting capacity than previous classes, partly due to the fact that they were equipped with a new modern submarine torpedo. The ''Västergötland'' class were able to fire up to six heavy and six light wire-guided
torpedo
A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, such ...
es at the same time against different targets, a world record that still stands today.
Units
See also
*
List of submarine classes in service
* - enlarged versions of ''Västergötland'' used by the
Royal Australian Navy
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is the navy, naval branch of the Australian Defence Force (ADF). The professional head of the RAN is Chief of Navy (Australia), Chief of Navy (CN) Vice admiral (Australia), Vice Admiral Mark Hammond (admiral), Ma ...
*
List of active Swedish Navy ships
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Vastergotland Class Submarine
Naval ships of Sweden
Submarines of Sweden