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Shishumar (Type 209) Class
Encyclopedia
The Shishumar class vessels are diesel-electric submarine
Submarine
A submarine is a watercraft capable of independent operation below the surface of the water. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability...
s, currently in active service with the Indian Navy
Indian Navy
The Indian Navy is the naval branch of the armed forces of India. The President of India serves as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. The Chief of Naval Staff , usually a four-star officer in the rank of Admiral, commands the Navy...
.
These submarines are a lengthier and heavier India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n variant of the Type 209 submarine
Type 209 submarine
The Type 209 is a class of diesel-electric attack submarine developed exclusively for export in the late 1960s by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft of Germany...
s developed by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
yard Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) under the internal designation Type 1500.
The first two vessels were built by HDW at Kiel
Kiel
Kiel is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 238,049 .Kiel is approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the north of Germany, the southeast of the Jutland peninsula, and the southwestern shore of the...
, while the remainder were built at Mazagon Dock Limited (MDL), Mumbai
Mumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
under a technology transfer agreement. The ships were commissioned between 1986 and 1994.
These submarines have a displacement of 1660 tons when surfaced, a speed of 22 knots (43 km/h), and a complement of 40 including eight officers.
History
India signed the agreement for these submarines with HDW in 1981. The initial agreement called for delivery of four submarines which were delivered to the Indian Navy between 1986 and 1994. A subsequent agreement for the construction of 2 more submarines to be constructed at MDL was cancelled after the Pokhran-IIPokhran-II
Pokharan-II refers to test explosions of five nuclear devices, three on 11 May and two on 13 May 1998, conducted by India at the Pokhran test range. These nuclear tests resulted in a variety of sanctions against India by a number of major states....
nuclear tests in 1998.
Ships of the class
| Name | Pennant | Builder | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| INS Shishumar INS Shishumar (S44) INS Shishumar is the lead vessel of the of diesel-electric submarines of the Indian Navy.... |
S44 | HDW | 22 September 1986 | Refit Complete |
| INS Shankush INS Shankush (S45) INS Shankush is a diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy.... |
S45 | HDW | 20 November 1986 | Under Refit at Mazgoan Docks |
| INS Shalki INS Shalki (S46) INS Shalki is a diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. The submarine was the first ever submarine to be built in India. It was launched in 1987 by the late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.... |
S46 | MDL | 7 February 1992 | Refit Complete |
| INS Shankul INS Shankul (S47) INS Shankul is a Shishumar class diesel-electric submarine of the Indian Navy. The submarine was the second submarine to be built in India.... |
S47 | MDL | 28 May 1994 | Refit Complete |