Navy gets two German submarines<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Arief Kushariadi has
\nreceived the first two of five submarines Indonesia has ordered
\nfrom Germany, Antara reported yesterday.<\/p>\n
The two submarines were handed over to Admiral Arief by Dirk
\nHorten, the German armada chief, in a ceremony at the
\nHowaldtswerke Deutsche Werft yard, Kiel, Germany, the news agency
\nsaid quoting a Navy statement.<\/p>\n
The SS206\/450 submarines, formerly named U-13 and U-14, both
\ncommissioned in 1973, have been christened KRI Nagarangsang,
\ncarrying number 403, and KRI Nagabanda, number 404.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie, who
\nsigned the purchase agreement, said early this month that the
\nfive submarines were formerly used by Germany for its North
\nAtlantic Treaty Organization operations in the Baltic Sea.<\/p>\n
They were being sold as part of Germany's defense budget cuts,
\nhe said at a hearing with the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
Given that Germany stopped producing submarines of this size,
\nIndonesia would dismantle one of the five submarines for spare
\nparts for the other four, he said.<\/p>\n
Habibie, who is also president of state-owned PT PAL
\nshipbuilding company, said Indonesia planned to build its own
\nsubmarines of different sizes.<\/p>\n
The SS206\/450 submarine is 48.6 meters long, 4.6m wide and
\n4.5m high. It weighs 450 tons above water and 498 tons
\nunderwater. It can reach a speed of 10 knots on the surface and
\n17 knots underwater. Each ship can carry up to 22 personnel.<\/p>\n
Arief said the two submarines would strengthen the Navy's
\ncapability in defending Indonesia's vast territorial waters and
\nprotecting its resources at sea.<\/p>\n
The Indonesian Navy is equipped with mostly German warships.
\nIn 1994, Indonesia bought 39 ships from the arsenal of the former
\nEast Germany. (emb)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/navy-gets-two-german-submarines-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}