The small submarine surpassed the entire US aircraft carrier fleet
HSMS Gotland before setting sail
In 2005, the newly built US $6.2 billion US aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and its escort fleet participated in a mock defense exercise, their opponent was the US light submarine HSMS Gotland.
This light submarine quietly bypassed many layers of dense protection from American escort ships and repeatedly launched simulated torpedoes at the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan.
The US Navy held many such exercises with the Gotland submarine in the first year, but each time its destroyers and nuclear attack submarines succumbed to the small submarine with only a displacement of
So impressed with the Gotland submarine’s ability to bypass the anti-submarine defense system equipped with many modern sensors from the USS Ronald Reagan escort team, the US Navy decided to charter this ship for another year to learn about its properties.
HSMS Gotland of the Gotland class is a diesel submarine with a relatively cheap price, only about 100 million USD, equivalent to an F-35 fighter.
In the past, diesel submarines were limited by their noisy engines and could only stay underwater for a few days before having to surface to get air for their engines, making them vulnerable to detection and attack by enemy aircraft.
However, the Gotland class launched in 1996 was the first submarine to use an air independent propulsion system (AIP) to help limit dependence on external air sources.
The submarine HSMS Gotland easily surpassed the US aircraft carrier fleet.
Diesel engines are used when the ship is floating or using a snorkel.
The Gotland submarine has many other features that make it very difficult to detect.
The ship’s machinery is covered with rubber cushions to reduce noise, limiting the possibility of being detected on the enemy’s passive sonar.
After two years of exercises, the US Navy realized that Gotland was the biggest challenge to their anti-submarine force and that the undersea sensor system being equipped could not deal with AIP submarines.
Gotland is just one of many types of AIP submarines in the world.
Other AIP submarine manufacturers include Spain, France, Japan and Germany.
Gotland is the first submarine class equipped with AIP technology.
Diesel submarines are most effective when attacking enemy fleets when their location is known through intelligence.
The emergence of cheap diesel submarines with stealth capabilities and great range makes aircraft carriers and other expensive warships face greater risks when operating near enemy shores.
