Walrus-class submarine (1953)

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Aankomst Hr Ms Zeeleeuw (rechts) en Walrus (links) in Rotterdam, Bestanddeelnr 909-3968.jpg
Walrus and Zeeleeuw
Class overview
NameWalrus class
Builders Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company, Manitowoc
OperatorsNaval Jack of the Netherlands.svg  Royal Netherlands Navy
Succeeded by Zwaardvis class
In service1953–1971
General characteristics [1] [2]
Type Diesel-electric Submarine
Displacement
  • 1,840 t (1,810 long tons) surfaced
  • 2,425 t (2,387 long tons) submerged
Length93.6 m (307 ft 1 in)
Beam8.3 m (27 ft 3 in)
Draft4.6 metres (15 ft 1 in)
Propulsion
  • 2 propellers
  • 6,500 hp (4,800 kW) surfaced
  • 2,700 hp (2,000 kW) submerged
  • 4 x GMC diesel engines
Speed
  • 19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph) surfaced
  • 12 knots (22 km/h; 14 mph) submerged
Crew79
Armament

The Walrus class was a class of two submarines that served between 1953 and 1971 in the Royal Netherlands Navy. [3] [4] They were former Balao class submarines that were loaned to the Netherlands by the United States under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP). [5]

Contents

Background

After the Second World War the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNN) was left with several old and obsolete submarines. [6] [7] While the RNN made several plans to modernize the submarine fleet, it took many years till these plans resulted in the construction and commissioning of new submarines. [8] In the meanwhile the RNN tried to loan some of the surplus submarines that allies such as the United Kingdom and United States (US) had. [9] [10] In the early 1950s this led to the US loaning two submarines to the Netherlands under the Mutual Defense Assistance Program (MDAP), which together would later form the Walrus class. [11] [3] Initially the US agreed to loan the two submarines for a duration of five years, however, this was extended twice with five years. [8]

Design and construction

The two submarines of the Walrus class were built in the US by the Manitowoc Shipbuilding Company. [1] They were originally Balao class submarines that had served in the United States Navy (USN). [12] Before both submarines were transferred from the USN to the RNN they had undergone an extensive modernization known as Greater Underwater Propulsion Power Program (GUPPY). [8] [9]

Propulsion

Both Walrus class submarines were equipped with four 16 cylinder two-stroke GMC diesel engines that were capable of delivering around 6500 hp when surfaced and 2700 hp when submerged. [13] [1] [2] This allowed the two submarines to reach a speed of 19 kn when surfaced and 12 kn when submerged. [13] Furthermore, they each had two propellers and two 126 cells batteries. [2] The batteries had a capacity of 10.500 Ah and allowed the Walrus class submarines to operate solely on electric power for 5 hours. [13]

Armaments

When it came to armaments both submarines were equipped with a total of ten 53.3 cm torpedo tubes of which six were located at the front and four at the rear. [1] In addition, there was enough room to store 24 torpedoes inside the submarines. [13]

Service history

In the early 1960s the Walrus class submarines patrolled the waters in Dutch New Guinea and were stationed at Manokwari and Biak. [14] [15] [16]

Ships in class

Walrus class data [1]
ShipPennant No.CommissionedFate
Walrus S80221 February 1953Returned to the United States Navy on 23 July 1971. [17]
Zeeleeuw S80321 April 1953Returned to the United States Navy on 3 April 1970 and later sold to Trans Trading N.V. on 24 November 1970 for 313.013 Dutch guilders. [18]

Notes

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 van Amstel (1991), p. 56.
  2. 1 2 3 Jalhay (1982), p. 127.
  3. 1 2 Raven (1988), p. 179.
  4. ↑ Schoonoord (2012), p. 318.
  5. ↑ Nooteboom (2001), pp. 36–38.
  6. ↑ de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 101
  7. ↑ Nooteboom (2001), pp. 13–14.
  8. 1 2 3 Jalhay (1982), p. 63.
  9. 1 2 de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 102.
  10. ↑ Nooteboom (2001), p. 38.
  11. ↑ Jalhay (1982), p. 124.
  12. ↑ Nooteboom (2001), p. 67.
  13. 1 2 3 4 Bosscher and Bussemaker (2007), pp. 86–87.
  14. ↑ de Bles, Boven and Homburg (2006), p. 103.
  15. ↑ Schoonoord (2012), pp. 130–131.
  16. ↑ Jalhay (1982), pp. 125–126.
  17. ↑ Jalhay (1982), p. 125.
  18. ↑ Jalhay (1982), p. 126.

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References

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