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Ula (class)

1989 COLD WAR MODERN NAVY

History

The modern Royal Norwegian Navy currently (2017) deploys only one class of submarines, the Ural class. The group was in operation from 1987 to 1992 and was operational from 1989 to 1992.

The ships in this class are the lead ship HNoMS Ula (S-300), followed by sisters HNoMS Utsira (S-301), 302), HNoMS Utvaer (S-303), HNoMS Uthaug (S-304) and HNoMS Uredd (S- 305). All are in service at the time of writing (November 2017).

The construction of these ships was done in Germany due to the country's skills in shipbuilding (especially submarines) and the lack of Norway. The class stemmed from a 1972 Norwegian government initiative to fully modernize the high seas capabilities of the Royal Norwegian Navy, especially at a time when the mighty Soviet Union remained a longtime enemy in the region and was developing a large and powerful submarine fleet. case.

The new class was designed to succeed the ageing Kobben-class fleet, and was commissioned in September 1982 to build six ships in German (then West Germany) waters at Emden-based Thyssen Nordseewerke.

HNoMS Ultstein (S-302) was laid on 6 December 1989 and launched on 25 April 1991, and entered service on 14 November 1991.

The HNoMS Utvaer (S-303) was constructed from 8 December 1988, launched on 19 April 1990, and commissioned on 8 November 1990.

HNoMS Uthaug (S-304) was laid 15 June 1989, launched 18 October 1990, and commissioned 7 May 1991.

The HNoMS Uredd (S-305) began construction on June 23, 1988, launched on September 22, 1989, and officially entered service on May 3, 1990. Uredd was damaged during a docking operation in March 1991 and suffered a fire on board the following February.

The Ulla class is likely to serve in the Royal Norwegian Navy for the foreseeable future. The modernization of the fleet took place in the middle of the last decade (2006-2008), during which the group modernized its electronic warfare (EW) suite and installed new communications equipment. Warm-weather equipment was also introduced after Mediterranean travel brought the need for improved crew comfort in that environment.

The "Type 212" class of German-Italian diesel-electric submarines is considered the official replacement for the Ural class - which could happen as early as mid-2025.