Posted on 05/02/2006 6:21:54 PM PDT by george76
One of Germany's crack new fuel-cell-powered submarines has set a world record with a two-week-long dive, the German Navy said Wednesday.
The trip by the U212A-class sub with a crew of 27 from Eckernfoerde in Germany to Rota in Spain involved the longest period that any non-nuclear vessel had ever spent under water.
The navy did not say what the previous record had been.
US and Russian nuclear submarines can stay under water for longer.
Germany, which has no nuclear weapons and no nuclear-powered ships, developed the high-tech hybrid-powered submarines to replace diesel-electric vessels that need to surface more often to obtain air for the engines.
The U212A vessels have a hybrid propulsion system made up of an electric motor which is fed power from fuel cells that burn hydrogen. They must also keep air in their tanks, but need less than diesels do.
The vessel, the U 32, made the trip April 11-25 and had proved the capability of the propulsion system, a naval spokesman said in Gluecksburg, northern Germany.
The U 32 is to protect the Straits of Gibraltar and Mediterranean as part of the war against terrorism.
The stealthy hybrid-powered vessels are almost noiseless and do not release any exhaust gases when under water.
Better send a message to the liberty ships, and their destroyer escourts, to be on the lookout ... :-)
These could be very dangerous in the hands of a hostile navy. Our ASW capabilities are not what they once were, and when they were pretty good they were finding noisy Soviet nukes, not these.
That is the dive record that made the news. A Russian Kilo beat that in the 1980's. It was never made public. I don't know if we ever figured out how they did it but they made 24 days.
The French submarine surrendered in 2 hours.
a two-week-long dive
The fuel cell propulsion system based on hydrogen allows the boat to cruise submerged for weeks, typically a diesel-powered submarine can remain submerged for only two days. Fuel Cells generates no noise and no exhaust heat. The Portuguese and Greek Navies have ordered the German hydrogen fuel cell propulsion system for three of their U209-class submarines on order or already in service.
The U212-class is an evolution of proven U209 submarines. The new submarine will be armed with the DM2A4 torpedo and will perform shallow water and open sea missions. It will feature six 533mm torpedo tubes and 12 torpedoes or 24 mines.
The 4 U212 submarines ordered by the German Navy are being built by the ARGE 212 consortium. The Italian Navy has also ordered 2 U212 submarines being built at Fincantieri shipyard. The first U212 submarine achieved operational capability and was commissioned in the German Navy by 2003.
Maybe they sat on the bottom and did not move.
That's right. Now nothing bigger than a rowboat and less than two miles deep can escape detection, and if it comes to it, destruction within thirty minutes anywhere on earth.
I don't know but they did do it. I learn this in my Submarine Sonar class while in the Navy.
"nothing bigger than a rowboat and less than two miles deep can escape detection..."
That should do it.
These boats, and newer Diesel Boats, are great for coastal defense and patrolling smaller seas, but if you're going to prowl the planet, you need a reactor.
Damn Germans and their submarines.
I've more time that that in my rack at test depth...
Neat. Now let's see them spend two weeks deeep in littoral waters without getting a fix.
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