German submarine U-34 (S184)

For other ships with the same name, see German submarine U-34.
History
Germany
NameU-34
BuilderHowaldtswerke, Kiel
Laid downDecember 2001
LaunchedJuly 2006
Commissioned3 May 2007
StatusIn active service
General characteristics
Class and typeType 212
Typesubmarine
Displacement
  • 1,450 tonnes (1,430 long tons) surfaced
  • 1,830 tonnes (1,800 long tons) submerged
Length
  • 56 m (183.7 ft)
  • 57.2 m (187.66 ft) (2nd batch)
Beam7 m (22.96 ft)
Draft6 m (19.68 ft)
Installed power1 x MTU-396 16V (2,150 kW); 1 x Siemens Permasyn electric motor Type FR6439-3900KW (2,850 kW)
Propulsion
Speed20 knots (37 km/h) submerged, 12 knots surfaced[3]
Range
  • 8,000 nmi (14,800 km, or 9,196 miles) at 8 knots (15 km/h) surfaced
  • 3 weeks without snorkeling, 12 weeks overall
EnduranceSurface 14,800 km at 15 km/h, Subsurface 780 km at 15 km/h, 3,000 nmi at 4 kn,
Test depthover 700 m (2,296 ft)[4]
Complement5 officers, 22 men
Sensors and
processing systems		CSU 90 (DBQS-40FTC), Sonar: ISUS90-20, Radar: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band nav.,
Electronic warfare
& decoys		EADS FL 1800U suite
Armament6 x 533 mm torpedo tubes (in 2 forward pointing groups of 3) with 13[5] DM2A4, A184 Mod.3, Black Shark Torpedo, IDAS missiles and 24 external naval mines (optional)

U-34 (S184) is a Type 212A submarine of the German Navy. She is the fourth ship of the class to enter service.

She was laid down in December 2001 by Howaldtswerke, Kiel, launched in July 2006 and commissioned on 3 May 2007. She is under the patronage of the Bavarian town of Starnberg.

Service

U-34 is currently part of the 1st Ubootgeschwader, based in Eckernförde. She sailed from Eckernförde on 22 January 2009, bound for the Mediterranean to participate in the anti-terrorism mission Operation Active Endeavour. She was again deployed with Operation Active Endeavour in the south-eastern Mediterranean in May 2011. During this time she trialled the multi-crew concept, with three crews taking turns manning the submarine until her return to port on 11 December 2011. This was deemed a success, with the sailors' time commitment and the downtime of the boat significantly reduced.[6]

On 25 May 2015 U-34 left Eckernförde and arrived at Tallinn on 30 May to join Standing NATO Maritime Group 2, taking part in exercises in the Baltic Sea as the group's 'Silent Partner'.[7] In September she took part in multinational CASEX exercises in the Baltic, with surface ships of the German, Polish and Swedish navies.[8] In October U-34 took part in Grüner Aal (Green Eel) manoeuvres, a series of torpedo training exercises with the Royal Norwegian Navy.[9] On 30 March 2016 U-34 deployed from Eckernförde to the coast of Scotland, joining Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 and taking part in Exercise Joint Warrior, returning to her homeport in May.[10]

References

  1. ^ "MTU 16V 396 diesel engine". Archived from the original on 2006-12-06. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
  2. ^ Holger Naaf: Die Brennstoffzelle auf U 212 A (PDF, German). Bundesanstalt für Wasserbau, Wehrtechnische Dienststelle für Schiffe und Marinewaffen Eckernförde, 23. September 2008.
  3. ^ "Uboote Klasse 212A". Retrieved 2013-08-19.
  4. ^ "Deutsche Marine TV-Interview" (in German). Retrieved 2007-04-17.
  5. ^ "Dette er ubåtsjefens våte drøm - nyheter". Dagbladet.no. 2010-11-18. Retrieved 2011-12-27.
  6. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (12 December 2011). "Zu Weihnachten wieder daheim" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 13 October 2013.
  7. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (3 June 2015). ""Silent Partner" - Eckernförder Uboot im Auftrag der NATO" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  8. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (21 September 2015). "Gemeinsame Übungen auf See" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  9. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (19 October 2015). "Torpedoschießen bei Übung Grüner Aal 2015" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  10. ^ Presse- und Informationszentrum Marine (7 April 2016). ""U 34" erfolgreich in die SNMG 1 integriert" (in German). Bundeswehr. Retrieved 3 July 2018.