2024-02-17 15:28:36
The Spanish Navy yesterday decommissioned the veteran submarine S-74 “Tramontana”, thus ending almost 40 years of service. After this decision, the Armed Forces are left with a single submarine, the S-71 “Galerna”, until the new S-81 “Isaac Peral” officially enters service, something that will occur at the end of this year or early 2025, despite it being officially delivered on November 30. On that date, at the end of this year or the beginning of next year, the delivery of the second unit of the S-80 series, the S82 “Narciso Monturiol”, is scheduled, although it will not enter service directly either and will not be until at least a year later when he begins to be at full capacity and ready to participate in missions.
And, while its older brother, the “Isaac Peral”, arrives, what can we expect from the Galerna (S-71) and how is it different from the new series? It is the only submersible that “survives” of its class and has had to extend its useful life due to the delays of the new S-80 program.
These are the characteristics of both.
S-71 Characteristics
Displacement: Surface: 1490 t; Immersion: 1750 t
Length: 67.9 m
Branch: 6,8 m
Draft: 5.40
Engines: 2 Diesel of 3600 HP; 1 Main Electric Motor: 550VDC, 2120A, 2200KW; 1 Propeller
Autonomy: 9,000 Miles in immersion at 9 knots with snorkel or 45 days
Speed: Max. 12 knots on surface; max. 20.5 knots in immersion
Armament: 4 533 mm torpedo tubes. with recharging system; guided torpedoes F-17 mod. 1 and 2 (against ships and submarines); anti-submarine torpedoes L-5 mod. 4 (against submarines); MCC-23D mine
Crew: 88 submariners distributed as follows: 10 officers; 30 non-commissioned officers: 48 sailors
History: this submarine was the first of a series of four units, of French design, built in the factory of the Empresa Nacional Bazán in Cartagena – today Navantia -. He entered service in the Navy on January 21, 1983.
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S-81 Characteristics
Dimensions:
Total length: 80.81 m.
Branch: 7,3 m.
Draft: 6.3 m
Displacement in immersion: 2,960 Tns.
Engines: main electric motor power: 3,500 kW; AIP power: 300 kW
Autonomy: 50-60 days on the surface; 21-30 days diving at 4 knots; 8000 km at 3 knots on the surface; using AIP, more than four weeks depending on speed.
Speed: 12 knots on surface; max. 20++ knots in immersion.
Depth: +460 m
Armament: six torpedo tubes (DM2/A4 guided torpedoes; anti-ship missiles; tactical ground attack missiles; multi-influence nas.
Staff: total, 40 (own staff, 32; transport staff, 8).
The S-71 Galerna was again active after its last major careening that took place in 2022. During the work in the dry dock, the operators disassembled, inspected and reassembled the more than 15,000 elements of the ship. In addition, a thorough inspection of the strong hull, outer hull and non-detachable structural elements was carried out, with extremely demanding requirements. The submersible thus officially completed the great careening.
The submarine “Galerna” (S-71) is the first of a series of four units built at the Empresa Nacional Bazán factory in Cartagena. In 1974 and by Ministerial Order, at the proposal of the General Staff of the Navy, the construction of two “Agosta” type submarines, of French design, was ordered in the factory of the Empresa Nacional Bazán de Cartegena, currently Navantia, and on date 9 May 1975, the signing of the order for their execution takes place. The keel-laying took place on September 5, 1977 and a little more than four years later, on Saturday, December 5, 1981, the launch took place. The first trip to sea took place on June 28, 1982, followed by the static immersion test four days later. The official delivery took place on January 21, 1983, at the Cartagena Military Arsenal.
The main armament consists of 4 533 mm torpedo tubes. with reloading system, through which torpedoes and mines can be launched.
In addition, the submarine also has light weapons (pistols, rifles and machine guns) for its defense when sailing on the surface or docked in port.
The torpedoes that can be launched are the following:
- F-17 guided torpedoes mod. 1 and 2 (against ships and submarines)
- Anti-submarine torpedoes L-5 mod. 4 (against submarines)
The submarine’s main sensors are sonars, both active and passive. In addition, it has communications antennas, radars and periscopes.
It is not the first ship to bear the name “Galerna”, as it has an ancestor. She was an auxiliary gunboat, originally a 1,200 MT cod boat. who participated in the Spanish Civil War and who later, once the war was over, rejoined the fishing industry.
Goodbye to “Tramontana”
From the same series is the S-74 Tramontana, decommissioned yesterday, the fourth Spanish submarine of the “Galerna” class, also built in Cartagena and delivered to the Navy on December 30 of the same year. In this case, its useful life was only extended until the delivery of the S-81. In 2022, the Tramontana was also subjected to a brief period of immobilization to extend its life until the arrival of the first S-80, so that there would always be two submersibles, although since the decommissioning of the S-73 Mistral in June 2020, and the technical stoppage of the S-74 Tramontana, Spain was without any operational.
S-81
As for the S-81, there is little left to say that has not been said about this submarine: with it, Navantia has overcome the “greatest technological challenge of the Spanish industry” in the words of Ricardo Domínguez himself, president of the shipyard. For its launching to be carried out, three million hours of prior work were necessary according to Navantia calculations.
It is a new generation conventional ocean submarine, with completely Spanish design and construction. It stands out for its third-generation anaerobic AIP propulsion called BEST (Bio-Ethanol Stealth Technology), which consists of a bioethanol reformer to produce hydrogen, which in turn reacts with oxygen in a fuel cell generating electricity. This system allows you to extend its autonomy in immersion up to three weeks, which substantially reduces its level of detectability.
It is a highly automated submarine that, thanks to the latest generation platform control system developed by Navantia Sistemas, allows it to be operated by a reduced crew (32 sailors and 8 places for boarding additional personnel), capable of reaching a diving speed greater than 19 knots, and a maximum immersion level greater than 300 m. It is approximately 80 m in length, 7 m in diameter and has a submerged displacement of about 3,000 tons.
It also incorporates a combat system developed by Navantia Sistemas in collaboration with the American company Lockheed Martin, with the unique capacity (for NATO and the EU) among conventional submarines with similar characteristics, to launch tactical land attack missiles.
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