Kockums AB, For two years now, the Swedish Navy submarine HMS Gotland, built at Kockums, has been leased to the USA, complete with a Swedish crew. The Swedish submarine has participated in intense and demanding exercises off the US coast, for which she has gained great respect and won the praise of professionals worldwide.
Her Stirling AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system, which enables a conventional (non-nuclear) submarine to remain submerged without having to surface and risk detection, has played a decisive role in her success.
In exercises conducted with the US Navy, as well as with naval units from Australia and Canada, she has performed superbly and has proved extremely difficult to detect. She has also surprised her hunters in many other respects during these joint exercises. The performance of her Swedish crew has been excellent, for which it has been warmly commended.
HMS Gotland has been in the USA since June 2005, operating out of the USN’s San Diego naval base, on the west coast. Kockums personnel have made a number of trips to the US to maintain the vessel between exercises. On one occasion, 35 specialists from Kockums’ support and maintenance team flew to San Diego to carry out a thorough overhaul, over a period of several weeks.
During the first twelve months, HMS Gotland was at sea for more than 160 days. During these exercises, as well as having to evade the attentions of a range of US Navy units, she also had to deal with those of airborne units.
The exercises in which she has participated during the second year of her lease have been equally challenging. But things seem to have gone ‘swimmingly’ for the Swedes.
The vessel’s stealth capabilities have been highly praised. She is neither heard nor seen, appearing without warning and surprising her hunters. Participation in these exercises has naturally provided the Swedish crew with considerable additional experience, which will prove particularly valuable in future international operations.
The series of joint exercises will be concluded by mid-year, at which point HMS Gotland will return to Sweden.
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