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First Singapore submarine

The first submarine acquired by the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) was the RSS Conqueror, a Swedish Sjoormen Class submarine. It was commissioned on 22 July 2000 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Tony Tan. The RSS Conqueror was the first of four former Swedish navy submarines acquired and refitted for service with the RSN.

History
Singapore ordered its first submarine in 1995, a second-hand Sjoormen Class submarine from the Royal Swedish Navy. In 1997, the order was expanded to include three more submarines. The first submarine, the RSS Conqueror, was commissioned on 22 July 2000 by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence, Tony Tan.

Description
The RSS Conqueror, a Sjoormen-class submarine (small coastal submarine), is a product of the Swedish company, Kockums AB. It has a single hull, dimensions of 51 by 6.1 by 5.8 m, and weighs 1,200 tons in submerged displacement. The twin-engine submarine runs on diesel-electric power and has the capability of navigating underwater at a speed of up to 16 knots (29.6 km/hr). Its armament consists of four 533 mm torpedo tubes and two 400 mm torpedo tubes and can carry a crew of 23 officers and men. Equipment carried on board include a command and weapon control system, radar, active and passive sonar, inertial navigation system and a reverse osmosis plant.

More than 25 years old, RSS Conqueror was refurbished for use in a tropical climate and its crew has undergone training in Sweden. This is the first of four Sjoormen-class submarines acquired, with RSS Centurion, RSS Cavalier and RSS Challenger due to arrive by 2001 or 2002.



Author
Eunice Low, 2000



References 
Le Blond, Raoul. (1995, September 24). S'pore to Buy Second-hand Submarine. The Straits Times, p. 3.

Navy commissions first submarine. (2000, July 23).The Straits Times, p. 32

Kockums. (n.d.). Challenger. Retrieved January 14, 2002, from www.kockums.se/Submarines/challenger.html

Republic of Singapore Navy. (2002, March 5). Navy news online: Sjoormen Class submarines. Retrieved January 14, 2002, from www.mindef.gov.sg/display.asp?number=1430


Further Readings
Navy Pentagon. (2000). Submarine Warfare Division. Retrieved January 14, 2003, from www.chinfo.navy.mil/navpalib/cno/n87/n77.html

Kockums. (2001, May). Some brief facts about the Riken Project. Retrieved January 14, 2002, from www.kockums.se/News/oldnews/riken.html 

The information in this article is valid as at 2001 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. Please contact the Library for further reading materials on the topic.

Subject
Commerce and Industry>>Transportation
Politics and Government>>National Security>>Defence
Submarines (Ships)--Singapore
Science and technology>>Engineering>>Military engineering
Law and government>>Security>>Navy



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