Submarine Database

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This material is produced by the Monterey Institute's James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies


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COUNTRY CAPABILITIES

Greece

Submarine Proliferation

Greece Current Capabilities

Capabilities | Import | Export


The Hellenic Navy currently employs a submarine flotilla of eight German Type 209/1100 and 209/1200 vessels, which were ordered from Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW) in 1967 and 1975.  The first four of these boats have been recently modernized; three further vessels will be refitted with air-independent propulsion (AIP) systems as part of the general modernization program of the Greek Armed Forces. A batch of four new Type 214 Katsonis-class submarines has been ordered; the first of class will be built in Kiel, and the rest at Hellenic Shipyards, which was acquired by HDW in 2001. These vessels will feature AIP systems as well.[1,2]

The Hellenic Navy presides over an archipelago that includes about 2,000 islands. Its headquarters is at Salamis, near Athens; another major base is at Suda Bay, on the isle of Crete. Since a significant share of Greek commerce is maritime, the Hellenic Navy is chiefly concerned with the security of its sea lines of communication.  Control over the Aegean Sea is increasingly important as it may become a passageway for oil and gas from the Caspian region.[3] The Hellenic Navy has also increasingly been involved in supporting peacekeeping operations, including the EU intervention force.[4]

Greek security concerns are heightened by unresolved maritime, territorial, air, and boundary disputes with Turkey, particularly over Cyprus and the Aegean Sea. If Turkey is admitted into the European Union in the future (accession negotiations are scheduled to begin in October 2005), these tensions may ease.  However, if Turkey is denied admittance, its relations with Greece could deteriorate further.  While both Turkey and Greece are NATO members, NATO has been called both a restraining influence as well as a contributor to heightened tensions between the two nations.[5] In this context, Athens views the deterrent capability provided by its submarines as ensuring stability, security, and peace.[6]

Katsonis (Type 214)
Displacement, tons: 1,700 surfaced
1,980 submerged
Dimensions, ft (m): 213.3 x 20.7 x 19.7 (65 x 6.3 x 6)
Main machinery: hybrid diesel-electric/fuel cell AIP (2)
Speed, knots: 12 surfaced
20 submerged
Range, miles: 12,000 at 6 kt surfaced; 420 at 8 kt submerged; 1,248 at 4 kt on fuel cells
Complement: 27 (5 officers)
Diving depth, ft (m): 1,300 (400)
Endurance: 50 days
Weapons: 16 SSMs and torpedoes; eight 21" (533 mm) tubes, four of which can launch SSMs
Katsonis (Type 214) submarine

Sources:
"Katsonis (Type 214) Class (SSK)," Jane's Fighting Ships online edition, http://www.janes.com, August 8, 2003.
"U212/214 Attack Submarine, Germany," Naval Technology Website,  http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/type_212.
"Type 214," Jane's Underwater Warfare Systems online edition, http://juws.janes.com, September 5, 2003.

Glavkos (Type 209/1100 & 1200)
Displacement, tons: 1,100 surfaced
1,285 submerged
Dimensions, ft (m): 183.4 x 20.3 x 17.9
(55.9 x 6.2 x 5.5)
Main machinery: diesel-electric
Speed, knots: 11 surfaced
21.5 submerged
Range, miles: not available
Complement: 31 (6 officers)
Diving depth, ft (m): 820 (250)
Endurance: 50 days
Weapons: 14 SSMs and torpedoes; eight 21" (533 mm) tubes, four of which can launch SSMs; alleged mining capability
Comments: The Type 209/1200 is also referred to as the Poseidon-class.
Glavkos (Type 209/1100 & 1200) submarine

Sources:
"Glavkos Class (209 Types 1100 and 1200) (SSK)," Jane's Fighting Ships 2001-2002 online edition, http://www.janes.com. 13 February 2001.
"S-113," Hellenic Submarines Website, http://users.otenet.gr/~confryd/subs.htm.
"Hellenic Navy," European Defense Website, http://www.european-defence.co.uk/directory/armedforces/grcenavy.html.

ACTIVE DUTY SUBMARINES
Name (Number) Class Base Builder Laid down Launched Commissioned
Glavkos (S110) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1100) Salamis HDW, Kiel September 1968 September 1970 September 1971
Nereus (S111) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1100) Salamis HDW, Kiel January 1969 7 June 1971 February 1972
Triton (S112) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1100) Salamis HDW, Kiel June 1969 October 1971 August 1972
Proteus (S113) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1100) Salamis HDW, Kiel October 1969 February 1972 August 1972
Poseidon (S114) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1200) Salamis HDW, Kiel January 1976 March 1978 March 1979
Amphitrite (S117) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1200) Salamis HDW, Kiel April 1976 June 1978 September 1979
Okeanos (S118) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1200) Salamis HDW, Kiel October 1976 November 1978 November 1979
Pontos (S119) Glavkos-class (Type 209/1200) Salamis HDW, Kiel January 1977 March 1979 April 1980
Papanikolis (S120) Katsonis-class (Type 214)   HDW, Kiel February 2001 December 2003 October 2005
Pipinos (S121) Katsonis-class (Type 214)   HS, Skaramanga February 2003 November 2005 July 2008
Matrozos (S122) Katsonis-class (Type 214)   HS, Skaramanga February 2004 November 2006 July 2009
(S123) Katsonis-class (Type 214)   HS, Skaramanga 2005 2007 2010

Sources:
"Glavkos Class (209 Types 1100 and 1200) (SSK)," Jane's Fighting Ships 2001-2002 online edition, http://www.janes.com. 13 February 2001.
"Katsonis (Type 214) Class (SSK)," Jane's Fighting Ships online edition, http://www.janes.com, 8 August 2003.
"S-113," Hellenic Submarines Website, http://users.otenet.gr/~confryd/subs.htm.
"Type 214," Jane's Underwater Warfare Systems online edition, http://juws.janes.com, 5 September 2003.
"U212/214 Attack Submarine, Germany," Naval Technology Website,  http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/type_212.

Sources:
[1] Aminesthai, October 16, 2003; in "Greek defense supplement on Navy's submarine command," FBIS Document GMP20031022000255.
[2] "Millionenauftrag fuer HDW aus Griechenland," Associated Press Worldstream, 3 June 2002; in Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe, http://web.lexis-nexis.com.
[3] Timothy Scott Baxter, "Keeping a fragile peace," United States Naval Institute Proceedings, March 2000, Vol. 126, No. 3, pp. 78-79; in ProQuest Information and Learning Company, http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb.
[4] "Modern navies: a force for good," Jane's Navy International, April 1, 2005; Jane's Website, http://www.janes.com.
[5] Ronald R Krebs, "Perverse institutionalism: NATO and the Greco-Turkish conflict," International Organization, vol. 53, no. 2 (Spring 1999), pp. 343-77; in PAIS International; in FirstSearch, http://firstsearch.oclc.org.
[6] Interview with Hellenic Minister of National Defense Apostolos-Athanasios Tsohatzopoulos, Military Technology, May 2001, Vol. 25, No. 5, pp. 61-62; in ProQuest Information and Learning Company, http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb.

CNS This material is produced independently for NTI by the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies and does not necessarily reflect the opinions of and has not been independently verified by NTI or its directors, officers, employees, agents. Copyright © 2010 by MIIS.

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