Summary
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.[1]
 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 |
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 edit
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.[2]
Ships in the class edit
| 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.[3]
References edit
- 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.