INS Shishumar (S44)

History

For decades since the Cold War era (1947-1991), the German shipbuilding industry has been offering some form of diesel-electric attack submarine to potential buyers. The line evolved from the Type 201 in the 1960s (Germany's first submarine after World War II) to the Type 214 in the 2000s.

In between was the Type 209/1100, which was later adopted by many foreign navies - from Argentina and Brazil to South Africa and Turkey.

India became another customer, committing in an agreement with Germany in December 1981 to produce four aircraft of this type and operate them under the name "Shishumar class". They are longer and heavier than the other 209s in the series, and also come with a full crew escape ball. However, after using these ships for a while, due to changes in theory/requirements, the Indian Navy ultimately did not select the other two ships (although it was initially agreed in 1984).

Instead, three French-origin Scorpene-class ships were selected for purchase in 1999.

The commissioned Shishumar class ships became the lead ships INS Shishumar (S44), INS Shankush (S45), INS Shalki (S46) and INS Shankul (S47). The first two ships were built in Germany by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (based in Kiel) and the latter two were built at Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Ltd in India (those with prefab components from Germany).

All are still in service as of this writing (January 2019) and are based out of Mumbai.

In terms of the class of diesel-electric submarines available to the modern Indian Navy, the Shishumar class lags behind the newer Kalvari class ships and the numerically larger Sindhughosh class ships (both detailed elsewhere on this site). The Sindhughosh ships have a larger displacement (3,400 tons), while the Kalvari class (2,000 tons) has a more modern design and on paper directly replaces the Shishumar class.

It represents the planned six groups, three of which have been completed, three are under construction and one is in service (2019).

Regarding the Shishumar class, the lead ship INS Shishumar (S44) was commissioned on 22 September 1986. She displaces 1,450 tons on the surface and 1,850 tons underwater, with an overall length of 211 feet, a beam of 21 feet, and a draft of 20 feet. Installation power comes from 4 2,400 hp diesel electric motors, 1 4,600 hp Siemens electric motor, 4 2,400 hp Siemens generators and a single shaft stern. Top speed on the surface reaches 11 knots, while underwater travel is 22 knots. The range is a healthy 8,000 nautical miles.

The hull has been tested to a depth of 260 m (850 ft), giving the vessel strong deep water capabilities.

40 crew members on board, including 8 officers (all crew can escape via an integrated emergency exit ball - the ball is pressure rated to the exact specifications of the hull itself, maintains an 8 hour oxygen supply and has its own communication system). The armament consists of 8 x 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes in the bow, carrying 6 to 14 rounds of reloads (from the German wire-guided active-passive AEG-SUT Mod 1 torpedo series). Also includes external mine transport/delivery capabilities (standard for the German vessel range).

Up to 24 mines can be pulled in one mission.

Its design was largely the standard and tradition of the time. The profile of the hull is as expected, with the sails amidships. The tail assembly has a basic cruciform pattern, and the propeller assembly extends beyond the aircraft. The dive plane is on the fuselage rather than the sails.

A single central partition is used inside.

Airborne electronics include Calypso surface search radar, CSU 83 active/passive hull mounted sonar, DUUX 5 passive range sonar, Librascope Mk. 1 Fire Control System (FCS), AR700/Sea Sentry ESM and C303 acoustic decoy system.

In 1999, Shishumar started a mid-term upgrade with a new French sonar and Indian data processing suite. The sister ships were subsequently modernized. In September 2018, Thyssenkrupp received a $151 million program from Germany to overhaul Indian submarines.

This class will now be able to support the US Harpoon Block II family of anti-ship missiles as its default weapon.

Specification

Basic

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Dimensions

Weight

Performance

Performance

Armor

Wing