Sōryū-class submarine
The Sōryū-class submarines (16SS) are diesel-electric attack submarines. The first boat in the class entered service with the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force in 2009. The design is an evolution of the Oyashio-class submarine, from which it can most easily be distinguished by its X-shaped stern combination diving planes and rudders. The Sōryūs have the largest displacement of any submarine used by post-war Japan.[2]
Soryu-class profile | |
Hakuryū (SS-503) visits Pearl Harbor, Feb 2013 | |
Class overview | |
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Name | Sōryū |
Builders | |
Operators | Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force |
Preceded by | Oyashio-class submarine |
Succeeded by | Taigei-class submarine |
Built | 2005 – 2019 |
In commission | 2009 – Present |
Planned | 12 |
Completed | 12 |
Active | 12 |
General characteristics | |
Type | Attack submarine |
Displacement |
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Length | 84.0 m (275 ft 7 in) |
Beam | 9.1 m (29 ft 10 in) |
Draught | 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in) |
Propulsion |
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Speed | |
Range | AIP endurance (est.): 6,100 nautical miles (11,300 km; 7,000 mi) at 6.5 knots (12.0 km/h; 7.5 mph)[1] |
Complement | 65 (9 officers, 56 enlisted) |
Sensors and processing systems |
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Electronic warfare & decoys |
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Armament |
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The Sōryū-class is Japan's first air-independent propulsion submarine class. From Sōryū to Shōryū are fitted with Kockums Naval Solutions Stirling engines license-built by Kawasaki Heavy Industries, allowing them to stay submerged for longer periods of time. The 11th submarine of the class, Ōryū, is the world's first lithium-ion battery submarine.[3] The cost of the sixth submarine (Kokuryū) was estimated at US$540 million.[4]
In 2023, the first of the replacements for the Sōryūs, the Taigei-class submarine,[5] entered service.[6]
Naming convention
Japanese submarines since World War II were named after ocean currents. The JMSDF changed its naming convention with the Sōryū,[7] and submarines will now be named after mythological creatures. Sōryū (そうりゅう) means blue dragon in Japanese and shares its name with the World War II aircraft carrier Sōryū, sunk during the Battle of Midway.
Variants
The eleventh Sōryū-class submarine (Ōryū) is the first Japanese submarine in the fleet to mount lithium-ion batteries. The JS Ōryū was given a budget of ¥64.3 billion (equivalent to ¥65.55 billion or US$601.3 million in 2019)[8] under the 2015 Japanese Defense Budget.[9]
Lithium-ion batteries have almost double the electric storage capacity of traditional lead-acid batteries, and by not only replacing them in the existing battery storage areas but adding to the already large battery capacity by also filling the huge space (several hundred tons displacement) inside the hull previously occupied by the AIP Stirling engines and their fuel tanks with these new batteries, the amount of (more powerful) batteries carried overall is massive. This has improved the underwater endurance significantly and is felt will be an advantage over the slow recharge capability of the AIP system.
In any event, JMSDF believes that lithium-ion is the way forward and intends to 'trial' this new system and compare it to the previous AIP system for operational effectiveness.
Exports
Japan offered Sōryū-class submarines to Australia as replacements for the Royal Australian Navy's Collins-class submarines, as part of the Collins-class submarine replacement project.[10] On 9 April 2014, then-Australian Minister for Defence, David Johnston, described the Sōryū class as "extremely impressive"[11] while discussing Australia's future submarine options. On 26 April 2016, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull announced that the Australian contract had been awarded to the French-designed Shortfin Barracuda,[12] though this deal was eventually rescinded.
India, Morocco, Norway, Netherlands, and Taiwan have also approached Japan, and expressed an interest in buying Sōryū-class submarines. During a visit to Japan, India's then-Union Minister of Defence, Manohar Parrikar, invited the Japanese government to participate in their US$8.1 billion Project 75I-class submarine procurement program.[13]
Boats
Project no. | Building no. | Pennant no. | Name | Japanese | Namesake | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Home port | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
S131 | 8116 | SS-501 | Sōryū | そうりゅう | Blue Dragon | 31 March 2005 | 5 December 2007 | 30 March 2009 | Kure | |
8117 | SS-502 | Unryū | うんりゅう | Cloud Dragon | 31 March 2006 | 15 October 2008 | 25 March 2010[14] | Kure | These five submarines are equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B. | |
8118 | SS-503 | Hakuryū | はくりゅう | White Dragon | 6 February 2007 | 16 October 2009 | 14 March 2011 | Kure | ||
8119 | SS-504 | Kenryū | けんりゅう | Sword Dragon | 31 March 2008 | 15 November 2010 | 16 March 2012 | Kure | ||
8120 | SS-505 | Zuiryū | ずいりゅう | Auspicious Dragon | 16 March 2009 | 20 October 2011 | 6 March 2013 | Yokosuka | ||
8121 | SS-506 | Kokuryū | こくりゅう | Black Dragon | 21 January 2011 | 31 October 2013 | 9 March 2015 | Yokosuka | ||
8122 | SS-507 | Jinryū | じんりゅう | Benevolent Dragon | 14 February 2012 | 8 October 2014 | 7 March 2016 | Kure | This submarine is equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B and a new satellite communication device. | |
8123 | SS-508 | Sekiryū | せきりゅう | Red Dragon | 15 March 2013 | 2 November 2015 | 13 March 2017[15] | Kure | This submarine is equipped with a new sonar ZQQ-7B, a new satellite communication device and new torpedo counter measures. | |
8124 | SS-509 | Seiryū | せいりゅう | Pure Dragon | 22 October 2013 | 12 October 2016 | 12 March 2018 | Yokosuka | ||
8125 | SS-510 | Shōryū | しょうりゅう | Soaring Dragon | 28 January 2015 | 6 November 2017 | 18 March 2019 | Kure | ||
8126 | SS-511 | Ōryū | おうりゅう | Phoenix Dragon | 16 November 2015 | 4 October 2018 | 5 March 2020 | Kure | These two submarines utilize Li-ion battery propulsion technology | |
8127 | SS-512 | Tōryū | とうりゅう | Fighting Dragon | 27 January 2017 | 6 November 2019 | 24 March 2021 | Yokosuka |
See also
Submarines of similar comparison
- Type 212 submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and exclusively built for the German Navy, the Italian Navy and the Royal Norwegian Navy.
- Type 214 submarine - A class of export-oriented diesel-electric attack-submarines, also developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by the Hellenic Navy, the Portuguese Navy, the Republic of Korea Navy and the Turkish Naval Forces.
- Type 218SG submarine - A class of extensively-customised diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by the Republic of Singapore Navy.
- Dolphin-class submarine - A class of extensively-customised diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently operated by Israel.
- Dakar-class submarine - A unique class of diesel-electric attack-submarines developed by ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems and currently being built for Israel.
- Scorpène-class submarine - A class of export-oriented diesel-electric attack-submarines, jointly developed by Naval Group and Navantia and currently operated by the Chilean Navy, the Royal Malaysian Navy, the Indian Navy and the Brazilian Navy.
- S-80 Plus submarine - A class of conventionally-powered attack-submarines, currently being built by Navantia for the Spanish Navy.
- Blekinge-class submarine is a class of submarine developed by Kockums for the Swedish Navy
- KSS-III submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack submarines, built by Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering and Hyundai Heavy Industries and operated by the Republic of Korea Navy.
- Taigei-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack submarines currently being built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries for the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force
- Type 039A submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines operated by the People's Liberation Army Navy (China) and being built for the navies of the Royal Thai Navy and the Pakistan Navy.
- Lada-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines being built for the Russian Navy.
- Hai Kun-class submarine - A class of diesel-electric attack-submarines currently being built by CSBC for Taiwan.
References
- Pike, John. "SS-501 Soryu / 16SS / SS 2,900 ton Class". www.globalsecurity.org. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2012-07-11.
- "SS Soryu Class Submarines". Naval Technology. 2017-09-03. Archived from the original on 2018-07-19. Retrieved 2018-07-19.
- Japan commissions first Soryu-class submarine equipped with lithium-ion batteries Jane's, 05 March 2020
- "Japan launches newest submarine Kokuryu amid party atmosphere". The Japan Daily Press. 2013-11-04. Archived from the original on 2013-11-08. Retrieved 2013-12-14.
- Mizokami, Kyle (2019-06-25). "Taking a Closer Look at Japan's Futuristic Attack Submarine". Popular Mechanics. Hearst Digital Media.
- Roblin, Sebastien (2019-11-07). "Meet the 29SS: Japan's New Stealth Submarine". The National Interest.
- 海上自衛隊訓令第30号 Archived 2011-07-22 at the Wayback Machine, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force
- 1868 to 1938: Williamson J., Nominal Wage, Cost of Living, Real Wage and Land Rent Data for Japan 1831-1938, 1939 to 1945: Bank of Japan Historical Statistics Afterwards, Japanese Historical Consumer Price Index numbers based on data available from the Japanese Statistics Bureau. Japan Historical Consumer Price Index (CPI) – 1970 to 2014 Retrieved 30 July 2014. For between 1946 and 1970, from "昭和戦後史". Retrieved 2015-01-24.
- "Japanese Ministry of Defense website, 2015 Defense Budget" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-05-09.
- "Japanese Media Now Openly Talking about Japan-Australia Soryu Deal". Asia Security Watch. Archived from the original on 25 February 2013. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- "Government struggling to find replacement design for Collins Class subs: Defence Minister". ABC News. Archived from the original on 23 March 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- "France wins $50b contract to help build Australia's new submarines". The Age. Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 15 May 2016.
- "India asks Japan to offer Soryu subs for Project 75I requirement - IHS Jane's 360". Archived from the original on 2015-01-31. Retrieved 2015-04-03.
- "Submarine Unryu Delivered". Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. 2010-03-25. Retrieved 2010-02-14.
- Japan receives Soryu-class attack submarine Archived 2017-04-24 at the Wayback Machine, Brahmand.com, 2017-03-16, accessed 2017-04-24
External links
- Japanese website with Diagram
- Globalsecurity.org
- Military-today.com
- Soryu Class 16SS SSK Submarine - Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force on navyrecognition.com
- Website on the Imperial Japanese Navy: JMSDF vessels
- SWZmaritime December 2020, Japan special