Kobben class submarine

The "Kobben" class or "Type 207" is a version of the German "Type 205" submarine customized for use by the Royal Norwegian Navy.

History

Along with the rest of the Royal Norwegian Navy, the submarine fleet was to be modernized according to the "Fleet plan of 1960". After the war, Norway needed a navy more suited for coastal operations rather than large, seagoing vessels. This made the choice of a new type of submarines rather slim, not many NATO submarines were suited for this type of operations. A German "Type 201" submarine was lent to the RNoN for evaluation and adaptation. The result was the "Type 207", of which 15 vessels were delivered to Norway in the period 1964 – 67. All "Kobben" class submarines were built by Rheinstahl Nordseewerke GmbH in Emden. During 1985 – 93, six boats were lengthened by convert|2|m|abbr=on and modernized, most notably with new sonar equipment. During that period, four others were sold to the Royal Danish Navy (known there as the "Tumleren" class), three operational (modernized) and one for spare parts.

In 2001, the "Kobben" class was completely phased out in Norwegian service, now replaced by the newer "Ula" class. Five modernized vessels were given to the Polish Navy, four as operational units and one for spare parts. [http://www.hazegray.org/worldnav/europe/poland.htm] Before they were transferred, the Polish crews were trained and the boats were overhauled.

During 2004, all of the operational Danish boats ("Tumleren", "Sælen" and "Springeren") were decommissioned. They were mothballed as of 2005, waiting to be scrapped or handed over to another nation.

Vessels

External links

Sites with information about the "Kobben" class.
* [http://www.thyssen-nordseewerke.de/e/prod/kobbenklasse.html Nordseewerke] - manufacturer's website
* [http://www.navy.mw.mil.pl/index.php?akcja=kobben Polish Navy] - with Polish commission dates, pictures and information
* [http://www.navalhistory.dk/English/TheShips/Classes/Tumleren_Class(1989).htm Danish Naval History] - information about Danish use (1989-2004)

References

* Marinemuseet, the Norwegian naval museum [http://www.mil.no/felles/mmu/start/Museet/MMU_Utstein/Kobbenklassen_1964-90/] [http://www.fmu.mil.no/marine/Museet/Utstein/utstein_utrustning.html]