Fourth 212 Class Sub for German Navy

From Defense Aerospace

Fourth Submarine of the 212A Class Received the Name "U34" at a Formal Ceremony

(Source: ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems; issued July 1, 2005)

HAMBURG/EMDEN, Germany --- More than 30 years after the construction of the first submarines of the 206 Class for the German navy, the fourth submarine of the 212A Class was launched in Emden in the name "U 34".

For the time being, U 34 is the last unit of the German Navy's block booking for the construction of a total of four units of the 212A Class that are being built at the Nordseewerke in Emden, "U 32" and "U 34", as well as at the Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft in Kiel, "U 31" and "U 33".

The submarine received its name, which is composed of the letter "U" and a number, following the tradition of the German Navy. Barbara Pfaffinger, wife of the Mayor of Starnberg, the submarine's twin town, is the godmother.

On this formal occasion, Dr. Christian Eckel, Executive Board member of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems "Submarine Division" and member of the Executive Board of the Nordseewerke, welcomed Parliamentary Secretary and Federal Government Maritime Coordinator Georg-Wilhelm Adamowitsch.

Furthermore, the following guests attended the launch at the Nordseewerke: Vice Admiral Lutz Feldt, Navy Chief of Staff, Mayor Ferdinand Pfaffinger as representative of the town of Starnberg, as well as other personalities from the defence ministry, the federal agency for defence engineering and procurement, armed forces and industry.

The tried and tested collaboration with the HDW in Kiel also forms the platform for the mutual draft, design and construction of these high-tech submarines. With the four submarines of the 212A Class, the German Navy is receiving the most modern non-nuclear submarines in the world.

The 212A Class submarine stands out due to its significantly longer diving periods than with all other conventional submarines. The longer diving periods are based on a new kind of propulsion system that is not dependent on outer air. In a chemical process, fuel cells convert oxygen and hydrogen into electrical energy. The power produced in this manner provides the propeller engine and all electrical systems on board with energy during the submerged operation.