 HSwMSGotland | |
| History | |
|---|---|
 Sweden | |
| Name | Gotland |
| Namesake | Swedish islandGotland |
| Builder | Kockums |
| Laid down | 10 October 1992 |
| Launched | 2 February 1995 |
| Commissioned | April 1996 |
| Homeport | Karlskrona,Sweden |
| Identification |
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| Motto |
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| Status | in active service |
| Badge |  |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Gotland-classsubmarine |
| Displacement | 1,380 tons standard, 1,599 tons submerged[1] |
| Length | 60.4 metres (198 feet 2 inches)[1] |
| Beam | 6.2 metres (20 feet 4 inches)[1] |
| Draught | 5.6 metres (18 feet 4 inches)[1] |
| Propulsion | two diesel engines (1,300 bhp (970 kW) each), twoStirling engines (75 kW (101 hp) each), one electric motor (1,800 shp (1,300 kW)), one shaft |
| Speed | 11 knots (20 km/h; 13 mph) surfaced,[1] 20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph) submerged |
| Endurance | over 14 days submerged without snorkeling |
| Test depth | 500 ft (150 m) |
| Complement | 18–22 officers,[1] 6–10 enlisted[1] |
| Armament |
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HSwMSGotland (Gtd) is a defense[2]submarine of theSwedish Navy. It was the first ship of theGotland-class, which was the first operational submarine class in the world to useair-independent propulsion in the form ofStirling engines which useliquid oxygen anddiesel as the propellant.
It was built byKockums, launched in 1995, and subsequently commissioned in 1996.
In 2015, Sweden'sDefense Material Administration (FMV) signed a contract withSaab Kockums which included a mid-life upgrade of two members of theGotland class,Gotland andHalland, for SEK 2.1 billion.Gotland is expected to return to the FMV in late 2018 following a series of platform and combat systems upgrades.[3]
The submarineGotland was designed and built byKockums inMalmö and launched on 2 February 1995. Thehonor guard during the launching consisted of the amphibian company of theFårösund Marine Brigade (FMB). Participants fromGotland included thegovernor, themunicipal council chairman, the commander of theGotland Military Command and the commander of FMB.[4]
The submarine is essentially based on theVästergötland-class submarine, but with a lot of improvements.[5] It has two diesel engines and twoStirling engines which gives air independence and doubled endurance compared with previous submarine types.[1] A gas cycle drives a generator that charges the submarines battery which is connected to thepropeller engine. For passive reconnaissance, she is equipped with circularsonar and flank array sonar.[1]
In 2020, HSwMS Gotland did undergo a mid-life upgrade, as her sisterHSwMSUppland before her. During the upgrade, a number of systems that will be used in the next generation submarines, theBlekinge-class (A26), was installed. More than 20 new systems on board the newGotland-class was implemented, which contributes to their de-risking for the A26. This also offers training opportunities for the crew when they, in the future, deploy on board the A26.
The upgrade process entails many new systems, such as the Stirling AIP, a complete new mast suite, sonars and sensors as well as management and communication systems. In order to host all systems, the submarine has gained length to 62 m and another 200 ton in weight, to reach a displacement (surfaced) of 1580 tons.
In 2004, the Swedish Government received a request from the United States of America to leaseGotland—Swedish-flagged, commanded, and manned—for one year for use inanti-submarine warfare exercises. The Swedish Government granted this request in October 2004, with both navies signing amemorandum of understanding on 21 March 2005.[6][7]
Gotland was loaded on board the Norwegiansemi-submersibleheavy-lift ship,MVEide Transporter, on 10 May 2005, for a month-long voyage over the Atlantic Ocean and through thePanama Canal toNaval Base Point Loma inSan Diego,California, where it arrived on 27 June 2005.[8][9][10] After a couple weeks of getting accustomed to the new environment, the exercises withUnited States Third Fleet began on 18 July 2005.[11] The lease was extended for another 12 months in 2006.[12][13][14]
Gotland managed to penetrate the defensive measures ofCarrier Strike Group 7 undetected and snap several pictures ofUSS Ronald Reagan during the December pre-deployment Joint Task Force Exercise 06-2 (JTFEX 06-2) in the Pacific Ocean (probably in the California Operating Areas), effectively "sinking" the aircraft carrier.[15] The exercise was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the US Fleet against moderndiesel-electric submarines, which some have noted as severely lacking.[16][17] In 2001, during the exerciseJTFEX 01-2 in theCaribbean Sea, theGermanU24 of the conventional206 diesel-electric class "sank" the carrierEnterprise by firingflares and taking a photograph through itsperiscope.[18]
In July 2007,Gotland departed San Diego for Sweden.[19]
In the early morning of 8 April 2014, theDefence Materiel Administration, known as FMV, with the help of the Swedish Army, raided the Kockums shipyard inMalmö, Sweden, then owned by German defense giantThyssenKrupp Marine Systems. The goal of the mission was to confiscate material belonging to the Swedish state, especially hardware relating to the Stirling engines used in HSwMSGotland. Although the raid was performed by military police it was not violent. After Kockums employees locked the gates blocking FMV's exit with the confiscated material, a long drawn-out negotiation ensued. A compromise was finally struck in which the hardware was to be stored at a shared secure area until further notice. Since FMV was only interested in the hardware rather than the blueprints, the show of force was more likely part of a long political confrontation between the Swedish state and the owners of Kockums, rather than an attempt at discouraging espionage.[20][21] Later in 2014, Kockums was sold toSaab Group.[22]
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