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Type 206 (class)

1973 COLD WAR MODERN NAVY

History

[p Chasing allied merchants for a while with little punishment. Some of its postwar additions influenced U.S. and Soviet submarine designs and helped lay the foundation for the nuclear-powered type that made up the Cold War era (1947-1991) underwater force.

After the war, Germany was divided among the conquerors and became a pro-Western "West Germany" and a pro-Soviet "East Germany".

The Cold War is "heating up" in Europe at any time, and in the long run, both sides have their own opinions. That period was filled with aircraft, tanks, ammunition, small arms, and naval developments that rivaled World War II.

The first German submarines after World War II were the three "Type 201" submarines, in service between 1962 and 1967/68. Then there was the "Type 205", which had 13 ships in total and produced more modern qualities - from 1962 to the end of 2005. As a successor to this line, the "Type 206" was developed, and its construction began in 1969 (which lasted until 1975), and 18 ships were eventually completed.

These worked with the German Navy from 1973 to 2011, and one pair was eventually sold to the Colombian Navy, where they remain in service today (2019). 16 of the crowd retired.

Eighteen Type 206 ships were designated "U-13" to "U-30".

The Type 206 was developed to remedy a flaw in the earlier Type 205 hull design, which had been shown to be prone to cracking due to corrosion (a horrible characteristic of any submersible!). This is mainly due to the boat's new non-magnetic steel hull. For this reason, the Type 206 was rapidly developed to replace the Type 205 in service, so these hulls featured an all-new steel hull with higher tolerances and a non-magnetic design.

Work on the successor type took place in the mid-1960s, with the first orders arriving in June 1969 from two separate West German shipyards.

These 18 ships were completed in a relatively short period of time and had a successful service life in the West German Navy and the resulting All German Navy. In the second half of the 1980s, the fleet modernization program was initiated, and in 1987 the introduction of newer, more powerful sonars, updated optics and fire control systems, new torpedoes, improved navigation systems, and revised 7-blade propeller units ( replaces the original five-blade propeller).

This work, led by Nordseewerke from Emden, was completed in February 1992, and the resulting changes were enough to justify an equally new designation, "Type 206A". Only 12 of the 18 Type 206s were modernized in this way, because by then the Soviet Union had ceased to exist - disintegrating between 1990 and 1991.

The remaining ships have been decommissioned and scrapped.

The Model 206 displaces 450 tons on the surface and 500 tons underwater. The overall length is 160 feet, the beam is 15 feet, and the draft is 14 feet. Power consists of 2 MTU marine diesel engines with a Siemens-Schuckert-Werke electric motor driving a single propeller shaft. The diesel engine provides 600 hp for surface work, while the electric unit provides 1,500 hp for underwater travel.

Maximum speed under ideal conditions is 10 knots on the surface and 17 knots underwater. Range is a useful 4,500 nautical miles.

The compactness of these submarines was due to their intended role of patrolling and attacking Soviet waters in and around the Baltic Sea in the event of an all-out war. Compact submersibles are easier to maneuver in tight spaces and shallow waters at the expense of internal bulk and limited range.

With a crew of only 22, the 8 x 533mm torpedo tube assembly carried only 8 torpedoes. The submarine can also manage mine warfare operations by transporting up to 24 mines externally, giving it some tactical flexibility.

Airborne systems include STN Atlas DBQS-21 series sonars, Thomson-CSF DUUX 2 series passive ranging sonars, Safari VELOX sonar interception systems and EDO-900 active mine-avoidance sonar units. Thomson-CSF "Calypso II" completed the role of surveillance and navigation radar.

Defense is handled by the Thomson-CSF Dr-2000U ESM and Thorn-EMI SARIE kit.

In the post-Cold War world, U-23 and U-24 ships were sold to the Colombian Navy, where they continued their careers as ARC "Intrepido" and ARC "Indomable". The U-16 and U-18 followed, but these were sold as spare ships for the operating pair.

As of January 2019, the Columbia is the only Type 206 in service.

Germany sold the Type 206 design (as "Gal class") to Israel via the UK. Three were built and commissioned in 1976, eventually succeeded by the Dolphin class.