Moray-class submarine

Moray was the name of a proposed new class of submarines developed by the Rotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij (RDM).[1][2] While a Moray-class submarine was never actually built, the detailed design of the submarine class was fully completed.[3]

Class overview
NameMoray class
BuildersRotterdamsche Droogdok Maatschappij, Rotterdam
General characteristics
TypeSubmarine

Design

A Moray-class submarine could be built in several sizes depending on the type of submarine that was needed.[4] For smaller submarines that would patrol off the coast there was a design that ranged from 1,100 ton to 1,400 tons displacement, whereas oceangoing submarines ranged from 1,800 to potentially 2,000 tons displacement.[5][6] Besides customization RDM also offered three standard types of Moray-class submarines which were called the 1100, 1400 and 1800.[7] The number stood for roughly the amount of tonnage of the submarine. The three types had a length of 55.7 meters (182 ft 9 in) (1100), 64 m (210 ft 0 in) (1400) and 75.9 m (249 ft 0 in) (1800), while the beam was 6.4 m (21 ft 0 in) and the draft 5.5 m (18 ft 1 in). The smallest submarine, the 1100, had space for a crew of 26.[8] The 1800 had space for a crew of 41.[9]

While the Moray class was derived from the Walrus class, it had several differences with that class.[10][2] The main difference was that the size of a Moray-class submarine was significantly smaller than a submarine of the Walrus class, which displaced around 2,800 tons.[11][12] Another difference was that the hull of the Moray class was, unlike both the Zwaardvis and Walrus-class submarines, not in the shape of a tear drop.[9] The more straight-lined hull of the Moray class made it possible to extend or shorten the submarine.[13] It also allowed the insertion of a hull section that included a air-independent propulsion (AIP) system.[13] A submarine of the Moray class could also dive less deep than a Walrus-class submarine.[14] The Moray-class submarines had a estimated diving depth of more than 300 m (980 ft).[9][7]

The price of a Moray-class submarine was estimated to cost around 220 million Dutch guilders in 1989.[9]

Electric moray 1800

In June 2018 a concept of an fully electric submarine based on the moray 1800 design was presented at the submarine symposium UDT in Glasgow.[15] In the revealed concept the diesel engines and all related equipment were removed from the moray 1800 design together with the lead-acid batteries; these components were instead replaced with lithium batteries.[16][15] The lithium batteries allowed the 1,800-ton submarine to stay at sea for three weeks before needing to return to recharge its batteries.[16] In addition, there were several advantages and disadvantages to using only lithium batteries to power a submarine.[15]

Notes

Citations
  1. Martijn Delaere (9 June 1989). "De Nederlandse onderzeedienst wordt met opheffing bedreigd". Het Parool (in Dutch).
  2. Schoonoord (2012), p. 291.
  3. Jaime Karremann (14 February 2019). "'Voor nieuwe onderzeeboten zou Defensie nu keuze voor één partij moeten maken'". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  4. "Beleidsplan over Marinebasis: Privatisering Rijkswerf in Den Helder niet wenselijk". Nederlands Dagblad (in Dutch). 17 March 1986.
  5. Onno Buiter (27 June 1990). "Afgedankte Zeehond is 'spoorloos': Oudgediende wordt proefdier voor het experiment 'Snorkelloos varen'". Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch).
  6. "Walrus of Zeeleuw? Dat is de kwestie". Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 19 June 1987.
  7. Frans Peeters (24 June 1988). "Moray-onderzeeër perfect voor Israël bij kust-operaties". Het Parool (in Dutch).
  8. Frans Peeters (9 June 1994). "RDM heeft nieuwe order nodig". Het Parool (in Dutch).
  9. Henk Knoop (22 April 1989). "Moray kleiner dan de Walrus en geen druppelvorm: Nieuwste onderzeeboot van levensbelang voor RDM". De Telegraaf (in Dutch).
  10. Theo Nijenhuis (21 April 1986). "Vertrouwelijke brief Nevesbu: Bundeling marine-werven obstakel voor nieuwe orders". De Volkskrant (in Dutch).
  11. "RDM wil compensatie voor afstel van Walrus". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 20 September 1988.
  12. "RDM: hoe nu verder na het stoppen van Walrus?". Het Vrije Volk (in Dutch). 21 September 1988.
  13. Jaime Karremann (16 February 2016). "Zwaardvisklasse niet vervangen: hoe Nederland belangrijke onderzeebootbouwkennis verloor". Marineschepen.nl (in Dutch).
  14. "Werf RDM zoekt naar Europese partner voor bouw onderzeeboten". NRC Handelsblad (in Dutch). 3 May 1989.
  15. Jaime Karremann (17 January 2019). "Do conventional submarines need diesels in the future?". Navies Worldwide.
  16. Erik van Huizen (19 December 2018). "Goede vooruitzichten voor elektro onderzeeboot". Maritiem Nederland (in Dutch).

References
  • 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.

Scale model of a Moray-class submarine at the Rotterdam City Archive (Dutch: Stadsarchief Rotterdam).

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