Näcken-class submarine

Hms Neptun
HSwMS Neptun
Class overview
NameNäcken-class
BuildersKockums
Operators
Preceded bySjöormen-class
Succeeded byVästergötland-class
Planned3
Completed3
Scrapped2
Preserved1
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement1,030 tonnes (1,010 long tons) submerged
Length49.5 m (162 ft 5 in)
Beam5.7 m (18 ft 8 in)
Draught5.5 m (18 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 × MTU diesel engines
  • 1 × Jeumont-Schneider electric motor
  • 1 shaft
Speed
  • 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) surfaced
  • 25 knots (46 km/h; 29 mph) submerged
Test depth150 m (490 ft)
Complement19 (5 officers)
Sensors and
processing systems
FAS
Armament
  • 6 × 533 mm (21 in) torpedo tubes
  • 2 × 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes
  • Mines

The Näcken-class submarines, also known as the A14 type, were built for the Swedish Navy in the late 1970s. The boats were authorised in 1972 and completed between 1980 and 1981. All boats were built by Kockums in Karlskrona. The boats had a teardrop hull and diving depth was 150 metres (490 ft). Between 1987 and 1988, Näcken and her sister ships were cut in half and an 8-metre (26 ft) long hull section containing a prototype Air-independent propulsion (AIP) using a closed cycle Stirling engine was installed between the aft battery/propulsion & power control room and the engine/motor room. This technology increased underwater endurance to 14 days and has been adopted in subsequent Swedish submarines.

By the early 2000s the class was decommissioned from the Swedish navy as a result of defence cuts in the year 2000 Defence White Paper. HSwMS Näcken was temporary leased to the Royal Danish Navy but was returned in 2005.

Ships

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Ship Launched Commissioned Current status
Näcken 17 April 1978 25 April 1980 leased to the Royal Danish Navy 2001-2005 as Kronborg,[1] scrapped in 2016
Neptun 6 December 1978 5 December 1980 on display at Marinmuseum Karlskrona
Najad 13 August 1979 26 June 1981 Scrapped in 2015[2]

References

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Notes

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  1. ^ "Kronborg (2001–2004)". Danish Naval History. Retrieved 2013-03-17.
  2. ^ "Systrar från Kalla kriget skrotas". 14 August 2015.

Bibliography

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  • Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947-1995