It is certainly not the first ship christening for the former First Mayor of Hamburg. Today, Olaf Scholz attended the christening of two submarines as Federal Chancellor. In front of 350 guests, Ho Ching, the wife of the Singaporean Prime Minister, christened the submarines "Impeccable" and "Illustrious". The pair are build numbers two and three of four type 218SG submarines being built by thyssenkrupp Marine Systems (tkMS) for the Ministry of Defence of the city-state of Singapore.
tkMS submarine family for Singapore expanded
Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, who greeted the christening community with a 'Moin-Moin', referred in his speech to the German Chancellor's recent visit to Singapore. He expressed his hope for a strengthening of relations between Germany and Singapore - also in the military field. He sees the two new additions to the Singaporean navy as a valuable boost to his country's efforts to keep its sea lanes open. "Singapore is a maritime nation and we are highly dependent on the free and unhindered movement of goods and services by sea for our prosperity and survival."
The first Changsheng-class submarine, the "Invincible", was christened in 2019. Construction of the fourth submarine, "Inimitable", has not yet been completed. Today's christening will be followed by a series of sea trials for "Impeccable" and "Illustrious" before they embark on their journey to Singapore.
Background
The Singapore Ministry of Defence has ordered four 218 SG boats. Two each were contracted in 2013 and 2017. With a length of 70 metres and a pressure hull diameter of 6.3 metres, a displacement of 2,000 tonnes on the surface (2,200 tonnes under water), the Type 218 SG is a derivative of the Type 214, combining an extended hull design and fuel cell AIP propulsion with features of the Type 212A. The X rudder tail configuration with the propeller vortex diffuser are among the special external features. The underwater speed is expected to be 15 knots and higher, and the boat is capable of more than 10 knots above water. The crew size is 28.
The command and weapon engagement system was jointly developed by Singapore Technologies Electronics and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. The advanced automation systems are supported by data analysis systems and decision making algorithms developed by the Defence Science and Technology Agency of the Republic of Singapore. The Type 218 SG is to be equipped with the latest generation Integrated Sensor Underwater System (ISUS 100) from ATLAS ELEKTRONIK. The armament - eight torpedo tubes - is to include Leonardo's heavy Black Shark torpedo and, in future, its advanced BSA version.
Intensified cooperation
Following the double christening, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and the Singaporean company ST Engineering signed a cooperation agreement. It deepens the long-term cooperation between the two companies and includes warranty services and maintenance work for the four Invincible-class submarines.
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