Israel’s new Dolphin II-class submarines are the largest undersea craft built in Germany since the Second World War, and when they reach active service they’re expected to take their place among the world’s most effective subs.
Three submarines are in various stages of construction at ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems in Kiel, Germany – the TANIN, RAHAV, and a yet-to-be-named third ship. The submarines are bigger than the three Israeli Navy Type 800 Dolphin-class submarines built in the 1990s: 68.6 meters long versus 57.3 meters for the older subs; 2,050 tons’ displacement on the surface, 2,400 tons submerged versus 1,565 tons and 1,720 tons.
Weapons include ten swim-out torpedo tubes – four 650 mm-diameter and six 533 mm-diameter tubes. Published sources credit them with carrying DM-2A4 Seehake wire-guided torpedoes, UGM-84C Harpoon antiship missiles and Triton anti-helicopter missiles.
The submarines are fitted with an air-independent propulsion (AIP) system, allowing extended underwater operations without the need to surface or snort.
The TANIN (“crocodile”) was handed over to Israel in May 2012, while the RAHAV (“arrogance” or “fearlessness”) changed hands in April 2013. Both boats remained in Germany for continued tests and trials.
These photos, published here courtesy Leo Van Ginderen, show the submarines in June 2014 at ThyssenKrupp’s Howaldtswerke (HDW) shipyard in Kiel, Germany. The photos of TANIN and RAHAV in the shipyard were taken June 14, while the TANIN is seen underway on June 19.
