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SHIP PROFILE (XVI)
SUBMARINE CLASS 209 -A "BEST SELLER" THAT DESERVES A SPECIAL PROFILE!
The 209 Class Submarine with 61 deliveries in 13 Navies surely shows record qualities. But what is it that makes the 209s so successful? To find out the life-qualities of these units and their class in general we interviewed naval operating authorities and commanding officers of 209s of 4 different Navies about the role and value of the 209s in their national naval operational concepts and their performance qualities under different environmental conditions, roles and missions in national and international contexts.
The profile begins with the units evolution, its qualities and variants in general. Then NAVAL FORCES let the "users" comment. Emphasis is on their impressions and statements. I use this opportunity to thank all representatives of the four Navies involved for their co-operation and support, without which this profile could not have been realised. For detailed technical information of the 209s and their evolution also see NAVAL FORCES Special Issue "SUBCON 2003" published 15.08.2003.
AN UNBEATEN RECORD OF SUCCESS
The most successful modern conventional submarine on the international market is undoubtedly the Class 209 submarine. Designed by "Ingenieur-Kontor Lubeck GmbH (IKL)" and in particular under the leadership of its then owner and main constructor, Professor Gabler, these submarines acquired a world-wide reputation. Prof. Gabler and other submarine expert engineers from the WWII days when they already designed sophisticated submarines, possessed innovative plans, complex knowledge and a vision to construct modern submarines with incorporation of latest submarine design and technology . In the 1960s Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) first built the Class 205 and 206 class submarines for the German Navy with a design which also originated in the offices of the famous IKL. These Class 205/206 submarines, although small with only 450 t displacement, operated so successfully and some of them still do in an upgraded version in the German Navy today, that they could serve as a base design for a larger type. Today IKL is part of HDW and still engaged in the evolution of Class 209 submarines and further developments.
THE CLASS 209 SUBMARINES DECISIVE FEATURES
The design of the Class 209 was based on the submarines built for the German Navy to be deployed...