This class of submarines was acquired by Portugal to replace the previous submarines of the Albacora class, then being operated by the navy. Originally, HDW proposed the Type 209 submarine (U-209) during the competition, but decided to later enter a new proposal based on the Type 214. It is for this reason that the Tridente class is commonly designated as the U 209PN.
The class and its ships are the first to not be named after marine animals, thus breaking a tradition retracing back to 1913, when the first submarine entered service with the Portuguese Navy.
Ships
The Tridente-class submarines are wrongly classed in the "diesel-electric" class. Their propulsion is exclusively electric, with electric motors powered by batteries. These batteries may be charged while submerged by "fuel-cells" (inverse electrolysis) for which, this submarine carries a huge supply of liquid oxygen and hydrogen. Also, and solely as a second solution for recharging the batteries, this submarine carries two powerful diesel-electric generators (1,000 KVA) for use only when surfaced, or at snorkel depth.
Submerged, from Lisbon, Portugal, submarines of the class may reach the Cape of Good Hope and return, in 15 days.
The Type 212A is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German Navy, and the Italian Navy where it is known as the Todaro class. It features diesel propulsion and an additional air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens proton-exchange membrane (PEM) compressed hydrogen fuel cells. The submarines can operate at high speed on diesel power or switch to the AIP system for silent slow cruising, staying submerged for up to three weeks with little exhaust heat. The system is also said to be vibration-free and virtually undetectable.
Air-independent propulsion (AIP), or air-independent power, is any marine propulsion technology that allows a non-nuclear submarine to operate without access to atmospheric oxygen. AIP can augment or replace the diesel-electric propulsion system of non-nuclear vessels.
Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft is a German shipbuilding company, headquartered in Kiel. It is part of the ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems (TKMS) group, owned by ThyssenKrupp. The Howaldtswerke shipyard was founded in Kiel in 1838 and merged with Hamburg-based Deutsche Werft to form Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in 1968. The company's shipyard was formerly used by Friedrich Krupp Germaniawerft until the end of World War II.
The Type 214 is a class of diesel–electric submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft GmbH (HDW). It features diesel propulsion with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) hydrogen fuel cells. The class combines the design principles of the Type 209 submarine family and the features of the Type 212A submarine. However, as an export design, it lacks some of the classified technologies of the Type 212 such as the non-magnetic steel hull that makes it difficult to detect using a magnetic anomaly detector.
The Shishumar-class submarines are diesel-electric attack submarines, currently in active service with the Indian Navy. These submarines are an Indian variant of the Type 209 submarines developed by the German yard Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft under the internal designation "Type 1500". The first two vessels were built by HDW at Kiel, Germany, while the remainder were built by Mazagon Dock Limited, at Mumbai, India, under a technology transfer agreement. The submarines were commissioned between 1986 and 1994. These submarines have a displacement of 1,660 tons when surfaced, a speed of 22 knots, and a complement of 40 including eight officers.
The Type 206 is a class of diesel-electric submarines (U-boats) developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW). Its design is based on the preceding Type 205 submarine class. These small and agile submarines were built during the Cold War to operate in the shallow Baltic Sea and attack Warsaw Pact shipping in the event of military confrontation. The pressure hulls were built out of non-magnetic steel to counter the threat of magnetic naval mines and make detection with MAD sensors more difficult. The low emission profile allowed the submarines in exercises to intrude even into well-protected opposing forces such as carrier formations with their screen.
U-31 (S181) is a Type 212A submarine of the German Navy, and the lead ship of her class.
The Type 209 is a range of diesel-electric attack submarines developed exclusively for export by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany. Five class variants, including modifications thereof, have been successfully exported to 15 countries, with 68 submarines being built and commissioned to five different variants between 1971 and 2021. More boats have been built to modified designs.
The Heroine class are a variant of the Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of Germany, currently in service with the South African Navy. The class is composed of three vessels.
S Tikuna (S-34) is a Type 209 submarine of the Brazilian Navy. Built in the Brazilian Navy Yard in Rio de Janeiro (AMRJ), it was launched in March 2005 and incorporated into the Brazilian Navy on July 21, 2006, and then transferred to the Naval Operations Command. It is the fourth Brazilian Navy submarine made in Brazil and the largest ever built in the country. The name of this submarine is a tribute to South American indigenous tribe Tikuna inhabiting the region of the Upper Solimões, in the western part of the State of Amazonas.
The Type 216 is a submarine design concept announced by the German shipbuilding company Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft based on the Type 212/214.
The Jang Bogo-class submarine or KSS-I is a variant of the Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarine initially developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of Germany, intended for service with the South Korean Navy and Indonesian Navy. A Daewoo (DSME)-upgraded model of the Jang Bogo class Type 209 was exported by Korea to Indonesia in 2012, amid heavy competition from Russian, French, and German-Turkish consortiums including from Germany's original Type 209. The variant was considered for possible purchase by Thailand as well, as both newly built and second-hand options. The class is named for ancient Korean maritime figure Jang Bogo.
SAS Manthatisi (S101) is a Heroine-class submarine currently in service with the South African Navy. SAS Manthatisi is named after the female warrior chief of the Batlokwa tribe. The Executive Mayor of Naledi Local Municipality and the godmother of the S101, Dr. Ruth Segomotso Mompati, announced the name of the submarine in 2006 at a ceremony in Simon's Town.
SAS Charlotte Maxeke (S102) is a Heroine-class submarine, a variant of the Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of Germany, currently in service with the South African Navy. She is named after Charlotte Maxeke, a South African religious leader and political activist.
SAS Queen Modjadji is a variant of the Type 209 diesel-electric attack submarine developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) of Germany, currently in service with the South African Navy. She was named after the South African Rain Queen on 14 March 2007 by the ship's sponsor, Mrs. Rita Ndzanga, at a ceremony in Emden, Germany.
The Reis-class submarines are a group of six license built submarines based on the Type 214 submarine for the Turkish Navy.
The Cakra class is a class of two Type 209/1300 attack submarines developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany that were bought and commissioned by the Indonesian Navy in the 1980s. The second member of the class, KRI Nanggala sank in 2021 with all hands during an exercise. The lead submarine, KRI Cakra, remains in service.
KRI Cakra (401) is the lead vessel of the two-member Cakra class of diesel-electric attack submarines operated by the Indonesian Navy.
The Hangor-class submarines are a class of diesel–electric attack submarines currently being manufactured by a joint-partnership of the China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC) and the Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works (KSEW) for the Pakistan Navy (PN). Eponymously christened after the former-Daphné-class submarines that the PN operated between 1970 and 2006, the class is an export derivative of the Chinese-origin Type 039A/041 attack submarine, currently operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). First unveiled to the public in 2018, the future submarines are envisaged to undertake anti-access/area denial operations within Pakistan's exclusive economic zone, through the use of heavyweight torpedoes and anti-ship cruising missiles.
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Portuguese Navy 
