Spanish Shark-class submarine

The Shark-class submarines, in Spanish, Clase Tiburón, was a mini submarines class of the Spanish Navy built in 1964. Only two units were built.

ESPN SA-51, preserved in Barcelona
Class overview
Operators:  Spanish Navy
Preceded by: Foca Class
Succeeded by: Balao Class
Built: 1964
Planned: 2
Completed: 2
Retired: 2
Preserved: 2
General characteristics
Class and type: Shark Class
Displacement: 76.80 long tons (78 t)
Length: 18.8 m (61 ft 8 in)
Beam: 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in)
Propulsion:
  • 2 diesel engines
  • 2 electric engines
  • 1 shaft
Speed:
  • 10 knots (19 km/h; 12 mph) surfaced
  • 14.5 knots (26.9 km/h; 16.7 mph) submerged
Range: 1 week
Complement: 5 persons
Armament: 2 torpedoes

Design

With a crew of five men, Tiburon-class submarines were intended to carry out week-long missions, would be ideal for operating in shallow waters and carrying special forces behind the enemy lines. They were equipped with a greater accommodation than the preceding Foca-class, with a bathroom and two bunk beds, which allowed the crew to rest in "hot bed" shifts.

The design was based upon the German minisubmarine Hai-class. The submarines had two diesel engines (115 HP) and two electric engines (110 HP). The armament was two torpedoes. The sail was larger than the previous class which helps in the surveillance tasks. The submarines were armed with two 533 mm tubes capable of carrying G7a or G7e torpedos.[1]

History and current status

The Tiburón-class had only two units, SA-51 and SA-52, but despite an improved version of the previous class, never got to join the navy. The submarines were in the Naval Week of Barcelona in 1966, one of them, SA-52, arrive from Cartagena on her own.[2]

On May 9, 1986, the SA-51 submarine was donated to the La Caixa Fundation for its science museum, now called "CosmoCaixa". The submarine is on display in front of the museum entrance.

The SA-52 remains on display at the Isaac Peral Naval Base in Cartagena.

See also

References
  1. Busquets i Vilanova, Camil (1988). "Submarinos de asalto de la Armada Española". Revista General de Marina. 215: 237–250. ISSN 0034-9569.
  2. "Entrega del submarino Barcelona (SA-51) cedido por la Armada al museo de la ciencia de Barcelona". Revista General de Marina. 98. 1986.

Sources
  • Busquets i Vilanova, Camil; Campanera i Rovira, Albert; Coello Lillo, Juan Luis (2002). Los Submarinos Españoles. Móstoles, Spain: Cultural, S.A. de Ediciones. ISBN 978-84-8055-952-2.
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