The ''Kobben'' class (also known as Type 207) is a customized version of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

Type 205

submarine A submarine (or sub) is a watercraft capable of independent operation underwater. It differs from a submersible, which has more limited underwater capability. The term is also sometimes used historically or colloquially to refer to remotely op ...

. Fifteen vessels of this class were built for use by the

Royal Norwegian Navy The Royal Norwegian Navy ( no, Sjøforsvaret, , Sea defence) is the branch of the Norwegian Armed Forces responsible for naval operations of Norway. , the Royal Norwegian Navy consists of approximately 3,700 personnel (9,450 in mobilized state, ...

in the 1960s. The class later saw service with

Denmark ) , song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast") , song_type = National and royal anthem , image_map = EU-Denmark.svg , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of Denmark , establish ...

and

Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...

. The boats have since been withdrawn from service in the Norwegian and Danish navies. The Polish Navy still operates two ''Kobben''-class submarines (''Bielik'', ''Sęp'') as of 2020, but 2021 may see these final two boats retired.

History

Along with the rest of the

, the submarine fleet was to be modernized according to the ''Fleet plan of 1960''. After the

war War is an intense armed conflict between states, governments, societies, or paramilitary groups such as mercenaries, insurgents, and militias. It is generally characterized by extreme violence, destruction, and mortality, using regular o ...

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of ...

needed a navy more suited for coastal operations rather than large, seagoing vessels. This made the choice of a new type of submarines rather slim, not many

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two N ...

submarines being suited for this type of operations. A German

Type 201 submarine The Type 201 was Germany's first U-boat class built after World War II. Design They were built out of amagnetic steel to counter the threat of magnetic naval mines, but the material had been insufficiently tested and proved to be problemat ...

was lent to the Royal Norwegian Navy for evaluation and adaptation. The result was the Type 207, of which 15 vessels were delivered to Norway in the period 1964 – 67. All ''Kobben''-class submarines were built by Rheinstahl

Nordseewerke Nordseewerke Emden GmbH (sometimes abbreviated NSWE, in English: North Sea Company) was a shipbuilding company, located in the Emden Harbor of the north German city of Emden. Founded in 1903, shipbuilding ended in 2010, and the company was taken ...

GmbH in

Emden Emden () is an independent city and seaport in Lower Saxony in the northwest of Germany, on the river Ems. It is the main city of the region of East Frisia and, in 2011, had a total population of 51,528. History The exact founding date of ...

. Between 1985 – 93, six boats were lengthened by and modernized, most notably with new

sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect objects on o ...

equipment. On 24 November 1972, the ''Kobben''-class submarine of the Royal Norwegian Navy had "contact" with what they presumed was a , after 14 days of "hunt" in

Sognefjord The Sognefjord or Sognefjorden (, en, Sogn Fjord), nicknamed the King of the Fjords ( no, Fjordenes konge), is the largest and deepest fjord in Norway. Located in Vestland county in Western Norway, it stretches inland from the ocean to the smal ...

. Military documents released in 2009 confirm this episode. During that period, four others were sold to the

Royal Danish Navy The Royal Danish Navy ( da, Søværnet) is the sea-based branch of the Danish Defence force. The RDN is mainly responsible for maritime defence and maintaining the sovereignty of Danish territorial waters (incl. Faroe Islands and Greenland). O ...

(known there as the ''Tumleren'' class), three operational (modernized) and one for spare parts. served in the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including ...

from May 2002 until June 2003. In 2001, the ''Kobben'' class was completely phased out in Norwegian service, replaced by the newer . Five modernized vessels were given to the Polish Navy, four as operational units and one for spare parts. Before they were transferred, the Polish crews were trained and the boats were overhauled. ORP Bielik 7 powbiel 2

During 2004, all of the operational Danish boats (''Tumleren'', ''Sælen'' and ''Springeren'') were decommissioned. They were mothballed , waiting to be scrapped or transferred to another nation.

Vessels

Notes

References

* Marinemuseet, the Norwegian naval museu

External links

Nordseewerke
- manufacturer's website
Polish Navy
- with Polish commission dates, pictures and information

- information about Danish use (1989–2004) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kobben Class Submarine Submarine classes Type 205 submarines