The Hellenic Navy's Neptune I programme has seen the service's four
Type 209/1100 Glavkos-class boats given extensive upgrades. (TKMS/HDW)
The international diesel-submarine market has been dominated by
Germany over the past 40 years, with the Type 209 design very much the
lynchpin of this global export success.
This stemmed from 1967
when the Kiel-based shipyard then known as Kieler Howaldtswerke signed
a contract in Athens, Greece, to build four Type 209/1100 Glavkos-class
submarines for the Hellenic Navy (HN).
These 1,000-ton submerged
displacement boats could trace their lineage to the German Navy's
smaller (450 tons displacement) Type 206 submarines. While somewhat
larger, they used many of the same components, in some cases by
doubling up on certain equipment such as generators.
Adopting a
single-hull construction arrangement, the philosophy underpinning the
Type 209 design was for a simple and clearly laid out vessel that would
enable the commanding officer, standing at a central position by the
periscope, to see along the entire length of the pressure hull – from
the torpedo tubes in the bow to the end of the engine room.
The
command room was situated about halfway along the hull. Forward and aft
of this area the lower deck consisted of large battery spaces, with
battery cells constituting about 25 per cent of total displacement and
accounting for very good submerged endurance. Another notable feature
was the low-revolution 5,000 hp electric motor, acting directly on the
propeller shaft and enabling speeds of more than 20 kt.
These
standout characteristics of good submerged reach, high submerged speed
and excellent handling went on to establish the Type 209 as the export
submarine of choice for two generations (janes.com).
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