Submarine order may add to Greek-Turkish tensions

Sea Power, Dec 1998

Akis Tsohatzopoulos, Greece's Minister of Defense, announced, after the meeting of the Government Council for Foreign Affairs & Defense (KISEA), that the Hellenic Navy will buy several new submarines from Germany. Preliminary negotiations are to start with German submarinebuilders Howaldtswerft Deutsche Werke (HDW) to build up to four Type 214 diesel-electric submarines (SSKs) at a cost of 225 billion drachmas ($792.4 million) each.

The first SSK will be built at HDW's Kiel shipyard. Two more will be built by Hellenic Shipyards at Skaramanga. The fourth SSK is optional, but would also be built locally. A final decision will be made at the next KISEA meeting.

The Type 214 design is reported to be a development of the Type 209, with advanced features of the Type 212 design incorporated.

A drawing issued by HDW shows, however, a design closely resembling that of the Dolphin-class boats built for Israel; the Dolphin itself is a derivative of the German Navy's new Type 212.

The 1,700-ton SSKs will be fitted with eight 21-inch torpedo tubes and a facility capable of launching four UGM-84 Sub-Harpoon missiles.

The pressure hull will be built of nonmagnetic steel, which provides additional protection against mines. The Hellenic Navy may insist on fitting its own Kanaris (Unisys) fire-control system, rather than the STN Atlas Elektronik system with which the Type 212 is equipped, but the sensor suite will include a cylindrical medium-frequency passive sonar forward, a medium-frequency/low-frequency flank array, a low-frequency towed array, and an active ranging sonar. A Proton Exchange Membrane fuel cell air-independent propulsion system is an option still being considered.

With the Turkish Navy still committed to building the somewhat dated Type 209/1400 design, the news of the Greek decision will accelerate a decision on a more advanced successor. Relations between the two countries continue to be very tense, and any concern in Turkey that Greece is acquiring SSKs more advanced than those in the Turkish Navy will increase that tension. Because Turkey is an important client of Germany, HDW would not want to leave the Turkish Navy in such an inferior position. It would not be surprising, therefore, if the next four Turkish SSKs will in fact be Type 214s. (Blohm Voss solved a similar dilemma by selling the MEKO 200 frigate design to both navies.)

The Greek order will bring welcome relief to HDW, which recently has been told by the Indonesian Government that two ex-German Navy Type 206 SSKs, the former U.13 and U. 14, are not to be delivered after all. HDW expected to undertake an extensive modernization of the two submarines, which would be followed by two or three more at a later date, but, because of its continuing economic crisis, Indonesia can no longer afford to take delivery of the boats. The two submarines have been at HDW's Kiel yard since September last year. Around 100 shipyard employees have been put on short-time work because the deal has fallen through.