Yugo-class submarine
The Yugo-class submarine is a class of four midget submarines used primarily for infiltration and espionage by North Korea. The Yugo class was given its name because it was built to plans supplied to North Korea by Yugoslavia in 1965.[2]
| Class overview | |
|---|---|
| Name | Yugo class |
| Builders | Yukdaeso-ri shipyard[1] |
| Operators | See Operators |
| Succeeded by | Sang-O class |
| In commission | Late 1960s |
| Completed | 8 |
| Active | 4 |
| Lost | 3 |
| Retired | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Midget submarine |
| Displacement | 90 up to 110 tons (submerged) |
| Length | 20 m (65 ft 7 in) |
| Beam | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
| Propulsion | Single-shaft MTU diesel engine |
| Speed |
|
| Capacity | 4–6 special forces troops |
| Armament | Some armed with two 533 mm (21 in) torpedoes, possibly in drop collars. |
| Notes | First successful indigenous midget submarine |
Design
The Yugo class is a family of midget submarines that are not all identical. The displacement is either the standard 90 tons of the original Yugoslavian design for the early units or 110 tons for the later units. Armament is either a pair of 400 mm (16 in) torpedo tubes (early units) or a pair of 533 mm (21 in) short torpedo tubes (later units).
All units have the same range: 550 nautical miles (1,020 km; 630 mi) at 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) on the surface and 50 nautical miles (93 km; 58 mi) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h; 4.6 mph) submerged.
History
The final vessel was built in the 1980s, after which they were superseded by the Sang-O-class submarines. On June 12, 1998, one out of six submarines was captured by the South Koreans.[2][3]
In the early 2000s, Vietnam "gained experience" with these craft prior to ordering Russian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines for denial of area capabilities, specifically against China's fleet per the Foreign Policy Research Institute.[4]
In March 2016, it was announced that the North Korean Navy had lost one of the ships during exercises.[5][6][7]
Operators
North Korea[8]
Vietnam: Purchased in 1997.[2] These were used by Vietnam People's Navy for swimmer delivery operations aside from conventional submarine operations.[2] The purchase was done by bartering.[9] Kim Jong-il personally approved of the delivery to make amends for not paying Vietnam for purchasing 20,000 tons of rice.[10]
Cuba: Classified as a 'Delfin-class submarine' and is rumored to have either been built in North Korea or locally assembled in Cuba with North Korean assistance.[11][12]
See also
- Una-class submarine, Yugoslav midget submarines
References
- "North Korea – Military Industry". www.globalsecurity.org.
- "SSM Yugo and P-4 class (Midget Submarine) (SSW)". December 26, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-12-26.
- Roblin, Sebastien (March 18, 2017). "How a North Korean Spy Submarine's Mechanical Meltdown Ended in Shocking Tragedy". The National Interest.
- "Building from Scratch: Rebirth of the Philippine Navy – Foreign Policy Research Institute". www.fpri.org.
- "North Korea has reportedly lost a submarine". CBS News. Reuters. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- "North Korea submarine 'missing' as US-South Korea drills continue". BBC. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- Payton, Matt (13 March 2016). "North Korean submarine that went missing is believed to have sunk, new reports claim". The Independent. Archived from the original on 2022-05-07. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
- "38 NORTH SPECIAL REPORT: A NEW EMPHASIS ON OPERATIONS AGAINST SOUTH KOREA" (PDF). www.38north.org. 11 June 2010. Retrieved 2021-07-21.
- "Russian Subs in Vietnam". August 20, 2012.
- "The colorful history of North Korea-Vietnam relations | NK News – North Korea News". March 31, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-03-31.
- "H I Sutton - Covert Shores".
- "New Photos Reveal Details of Cuba's Tiny, Lethal Attack Submarine". 17 May 2021.