HSwMS Sjoormen (A12)

History

HSwMS Sjoormen ("Snake") is a Cold War-era diesel-electric attack submarine designed, developed and built in Sweden for the Swedish Navy. A lot of work went into making the Sjoormen class a quiet, fast underwater fighter, including adding rubber tiles to the hull structure. The class served the Navy faithfully for decades before abandoning the five-ship line in favor of a more modern design.

The class is also known for being the first in naval history to use a cross rudder plane arrangement at the stern.

The

Sjoormen class succeeds the outgoing Draken class, of which six ships were built and operated between 1962 and 1988. The Sjoormen ship itself was replaced by the Hals (A14) class, with a total of three units.

At the time of construction, the submarine displaces 1,185 tons when surfaced and 1,500 tons underwater. Dimensions include an overall length of 165.7 feet, a beam of 20 feet and a draft of 19 feet. Propulsion is possible via a diesel-electric unit consisting of a pair of Hedemora (Pielstick) diesel generators, connected to a single ASEA electric motor, driving a single shaft. The boat can reach surface speeds of 15 knots and underwater speeds of up to 20 knots.

There are 25 operators on board, including officers and soldiers, and the endurance at sea is up to 21 days. Weapons include 4 x 21" (533mm) torpedo tubes and 2 x 16" (400mm) torpedo tubes - all pointing forward - these can also be used to disperse mines if desired.

The hull has been tested to a depth of 490 feet.

HSwMS Sjoormen ordered in 1961 and laid in 1966, finally launched on 25 January 1967. She officially entered service with the Swedish Navy in 1968 and only retired (retired) in the 1990s. A modernization measure in 1992 did not include the HSwMS Sjoormen in the plan and was introduced in 1993. In 1997, the ship (along with her three sisters, a fifth was acquired) was sold to Singapore, where it continued to operate under the name RSS Centurion. The Singapore Navy purchased the vessel on 28 May 1999 and commissioned it on 26 June 2004.

It remains on active duty today (Dec 2017), flying the Singaporean flag.

Specification

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