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Zwaardvisch-class submarine

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HNLMS Zwaardvis
Class overview
NameZwaardvisch class
BuildersVickers-Armstrongs, Barrow-in-Furness
Operators Royal Netherlands Navy
Succeeded byDolfijn class
In service1943–1965[1]
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine
Displacement
  • 1,320 tons surfaced
  • 1,580 tons submerged
Length87.3 m (286 ft 5 in)
Beam8.1 m (26 ft 7 in)
Draught4.7 m (15 ft 5 in)
Propulsion
Speed
  • 15.5 kn (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph) surfaced
  • 8.5 kn (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph) submerged
Test depth60 m (200 ft)
Armament

The Zwaardvisch class was a class of initially two, and later four, submarines that served between 1943 and 1965 in the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN).[2] They were former T-class submarines. Two were acquired and transferred to the RNLN during the Second World War, while another two were loaned from the Royal Navy post-war for a period of five years.[3][4]

Background

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During the Second World War the Royal Netherlands Navy Submarine Service (OZD) re-evaluated in 1941 the state of its submarine fleet.[5] It concluded that new submarines should be acquired to compensate the loss of HNLMS O 13 and HNLMS O 22 and to replace some older submarines that had become obsolete due their age.[6] As a result in September 1941 a request was made to the British Admiralty to purchase three T- class submarines which were being built as part of a British building program that would be completed by 1942.[5] This request was rejected as the Royal Navy needed these boats themselves, instead the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) was offered two U-class submarines, which it accepted.[5] Nevertheless, there was still a need for more submarines for the OZD and after the construction program of the T class was well underway in 1943, the Dutch government-in-exile made another request to the British Admiralty on April 1943 for the transfer of a T-class submarine.[7][6] This time the request was approved and on 6 December 1943 HNLMS Zwaardvisch was taken into service.[8] A year later, in 1944, the Dutch government started negotiations to acquire another T-class submarine.[7] This request was also approved and on 6 April 1945 HNLMS Tijgerhaai was taken into service.[9]

After the Second World War had ended the material of the OZD consisted mostly of old and worn-out submarines.[10][11] While the RNLN made several plans to modernize the submarine fleet, it took many years till these plans resulted in the construction and commissioning of new submarines.[12] In the meanwhile the RNLN tried to loan some of the surplus submarines that allies such as the United Kingdom (UK) and United States had.[13][14] In 1947 this led to the UK loaning two T-class submarines to the Netherlands for a duration of five years.[15] The two loaned submarines were during their service in the RNLN also considered part of the Zwaardvisch class.[16]

Design

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All four submarines of the Zwaardvisch class were built in the United Kingdom at the shipyard of Vickers-Armstrongs in Barrow-in-Furness.[1] The boats had a displacement of 1,320 tons on the surface and 1,580 tons submerged.[9] When it came to measurements, they had a length of 87.3 metres (286 ft 5 in), a beam of 8.1 metres (26 ft 7 in) and a draught of 4.7 metres (15 ft 5 in).[17] The boats had a diving depth of 60 metres (200 ft).[18] They were considered less advanced than the O 21-class submarines.[19]

Armament

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The primary armament of the Zwaardvisch-class submarines consisted of eleven 53.3-centimetre (21.0 in) torpedo tubes; eight were located at the bow and three at the stern.[20] Of the eight torpedo tubes at the bow six were installed internally and two externally, while all three at the stern were located externally.[21] Furthermore, the boats could carry a total of 19 torpedoes, with eleven torpedoes being placed inside the torpedo tubes and a further eight for reloads.[20] Besides torpedo tubes, the boats were also equipped with a single 10.3-centimetre (4.1 in) deck gun and a single 20 mm (0.79 in) machine gun.[9]

Propulsion

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The Zwaardvisch-class submarines were equipped with two six-cylinder four-stroke Vickers diesel engines that could each produce 1,250 horsepower (930 kW) (combined 2,500 hp, 1,900 kW)[21] and drive the two screws of the submarine to a maximum surface speed of 15.5 knots (28.7 km/h; 17.8 mph).[22] Besides the two diesel engines, the submarines also had two electric motors that each could produce 900 hp (670 kW) and three banks of 112-cell batteries with a capacity of 5,350 Ah.[23][22][8] This allowed the submarines to operate solely on electric power for five hours.[23] The maximum speed underwater was 8.5 knots (15.7 km/h; 9.8 mph).[24] The Zwaarvisch-class submarines were also fitted with snorkels.[25][21]

Service history

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Second World War

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The only submarine who saw action during the Second World War was HNLMS Zwaardvisch.[20] During the war the submarine completed several successful war patrols and managed to sink six ships, including the Japanese minelayer Itsukushima and the German submarine U-168.[8] The boat was also used for Secret Inter Service (SIS) and Special Operations Executive (SOE) operations.[7] As a result of its accomplishments, Zwaardvisch is considered one of the most successful Dutch submarines during the later part of the Second World War in the Pacific theater.[26] While HNLMS Tijgerhaai was also commissioned during the war, it saw no action due to entering service a few months before it ended.[20]

Post-war

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After the Second World War both submarines returned to the Netherlands and were stationed at the Waalhaven Submarine Base.[8][27] While the submarines were not involved in the Indonesian War of Independence and were regularly put in conservation, they did make patrols from time to time.[27][8] In 1948 the HNLMS Dolfijn and Zeehond also became part of the Zwaardvisch class, after the United Kingdom agreed to lent these two submarines for a period of five years to the Netherlands.[25] That same year Dolfijn made history by becoming the first submarine to cross the Atlantic Ocean using its snorkel.[13] In March 1950 Dolfijn left for the Arctic Ocean as part of Operation IJsco.[28][29] The purpose of the trip was to check how the crew and submarine would perform in cold and icy waters.[28] After six weeks the boat returned to the Waalhaven Submarine Base and the conclusion was that submarines of the Zwaardvisch class were not suitable for operations in the northern waters.[30]

Notes

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Citations

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  1. ^ a b Raven (1988), p. 179.
  2. ^ Schoonoord (2012), p. 318.
  3. ^ van Amstel (1991), pp. 55-56.
  4. ^ Jalhay (1982), pp. 122-124.
  5. ^ a b c Jalhay (1982), p. 38.
  6. ^ a b de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 98.
  7. ^ a b c Jalhay (1982), p. 39.
  8. ^ a b c d e Mark (1997), p. 92.
  9. ^ a b c von Münching (1978), p. 46.
  10. ^ Nooteboom (2001), pp. 13–14.
  11. ^ Raven (1988), pp. 121–122.
  12. ^ Jalhay (1982), p. 63.
  13. ^ a b de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 102.
  14. ^ Nooteboom (2001), p. 38.
  15. ^ Woudstra (1982), p. 95.
  16. ^ Schoonoord (2012), p. 318.
  17. ^ van Amstel (1991), p. 55.
  18. ^ Mooiman, B.A.; Bremer, J.T. (December 2004). "Aan de havenkant: Afzien op 'romantische' boten Zwaardvis en Tijgerhaai" (PDF). Klaar Voor Onderwater (in Dutch). Vol. 27, no. 90. Den Helder: Onderzeedienst Reünistenvereniging. p. 13.
  19. ^ van den Pol, E. (December 2006). "Onderzeebootbouw in Nederland" (PDF). Klaar Voor Onderwater (in Dutch). Vol. 29, no. 98. Den Helder: Onderzeedienst Reünistenvereniging. pp. 23–33.
  20. ^ a b c d van Willigenburg (2010), p. 72.
  21. ^ a b c Blackman (1953), p. 263.
  22. ^ a b Bosscher and Busssemaker (2007), pp. 86-87.
  23. ^ a b Jalhay (1982), p. 127.
  24. ^ Lenton (1968), p. 45.
  25. ^ a b Gardiner, Chumbley and Budzbon (1995), p. 279.
  26. ^ de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 100.
  27. ^ a b de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 101.
  28. ^ a b Karremann (2017), p. 22.
  29. ^ "Dolfijn' vetrokken voor verre oefenreis". Het Rotterdamsch Parool (in Dutch). 13 March 1950.
  30. ^ Karremann (2017), pp. 31-31.

Bibliography

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  • Blackman, Raymond V.B., ed. (1953). Jane's Fighting Ships 1953-54. London: Sampson Low, Marston & Co.
  • Bosscher, Ph.M.; Bussemaker, H.O. (2007). Gelouterd door strijd: De Nederlandse Onderzeedienst tot de val van Java, 1942 (in Dutch). Amsterdam: De Bataafsche Leeuw. ISBN 978-90-6707-614-2.
  • de Bles, Harry; Boven, Graddy; Homburg, Leon (2006). Onderzeeboten! (in Dutch). Zaltbommel: Aprilis. ISBN 978-90-5994-130-4.
  • Gardiner, Robert; Chumbley, Stephen; Budzbon, Przemysław, eds. (1995). Conway's All the World's Fighting Ships 1947–1995. Annapolis: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 1-55750-132-7.
  • Jalhay, P.C. (1982). Nederlandse Onderzeedienst 75 jaar (in Dutch). Bussum: De Boer Maritiem. ISBN 90-228-1864-0.
  • Karreman, Jaime (2017). Spionage-operaties van Nederlandse onderzeeboten van 1968 tot 1991 (in Dutch). Amsterdam: BWV Media. ISBN 978-90-826995-0-0.
  • Lenton, H.T. (1968). Royal Netherlands Navy. Navies of the Second World War. London: Macdonald.
  • Mark, Chris (1997). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in W.O. II (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-522-9.
  • Nooteboom, S.G. (2001). Deugdelijke schepen: marinescheepsbouw 1945-1995 (in Dutch). Zaltbommel: Europese Bibliotheek. ISBN 90-288-2637-8.
  • Raven, G.J.A., ed. (1988). De kroon op het anker: 175 jaar Koninklijke Marine (in Dutch). Amsterdam: De Bataafsche Leeuw. ISBN 90-6707-200-1.
  • Schoonoord, D.C.L. (2012). Pugno pro patria: de Koninklijke Marine tijdens de Koude Oorlog (in Dutch). Franeker: Van Wijnen. ISBN 978-90-5194-455-6.
  • van Amstel, W.H.E. (1991). De schepen van de Koninklijke Marine vanaf 1945 (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-997-6.
  • van Willigenburg, Henk (2010). Dutch Warships of World War II. Emmen: Lanasta. ISBN 978-90-8616-318-2.
  • von Münching, L.L. (1978). Schepen van de Koninklijke Marine in de Tweede Wereldoorlog (in Dutch). Alkmaar: Alk. ISBN 90-6013-903-8.
  • Woudstra, F.G.A. (1982). Onze Koninklijke Marine (in Dutch). Alkmaar: De Alk. ISBN 90-6013-915-1.
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