 Dolgorae-class submarine
| |
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Builders | Korea Takoma Shipyard |
| Operators |  Republic of Korea Navy |
| Preceded by | Cosmos class |
| Succeeded by | Chang Bogo class |
| In commission | 1985–2016 |
| Completed | 3 |
| Retired | 3 |
| Preserved | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Midget submarine |
| Displacement | 175 tonnes (172 long tons) full load |
| Length | 25 m (82 ft 0 in) |
| Beam | 2.1 m (6 ft 11 in) |
| Speed | 16 knots (30 km/h; 18 mph) |
| Complement | 14 |
| Sensors and processing systems |
|
| Armament | 2 × 406 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes |
The Dolgorae-class submarine (Hangul: 돌고래급 잠수정) was a type of midget submarine designed and acquired for the Republic of Korea Navy. All three units are now retired.
These midget submarines were the first South Korean submarines of any type. They were acquired primarily to obtain initial experience with the basics of operating a submarine force. The secondary mission to train surface ASW ships in the detection of North Korean midget submarines.
Replacement
In November 2011, South Korea unveiled plans for a new mini-sub designated KSS-500A. In September 2015, Jane's.com reported that Hyundai Heavy Industries started construction of a single 40 m (130 ft) long HDS-400 mini submarine for an unnamed naval customer.
Ships in the class
| Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Decommissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ROKS SSM-051 | Korea Takoma Shipyard | 2 April 1982 | 1985 | 2003 | Retired; museum ship at Seoul Battleship Park |
| ROKS SSM-052 | 1987? | 1990 | 2016 | Retired | |
| ROKS SSM-053 | 1988? | 1991 | 2016 | Retired |
In November 2017, SSM-051 was opened as a museum ship in the new Seoul Battleship Park beside the Han River in western Seoul.
References
- The information in this article is based on that in its Korean equivalent.
- "S. Korean Navy's first-generation submarines decommissioned". 30 June 2015. Retrieved 14 July 2015.
- Rahmat, Ridzwan (24 Sep 2015). "Hyundai begins construction of mini-submarine for undisclosed customer". Retrieved 8 Oct 2015.
- Kim, Se-jeong (22 November 2017). "Seoul Battleship Park opens Wednesday". The Korea Times. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
