Israel’s Navy in the News

With the recent events of Israel sending it’s Shayetet 13, a naval commando unit, boarded the protest boats at around 4:00 A.M. Once the troops were ordered to board those so called Peace flotilla ships (this author’s viewpoint), the damage to the Israeli nation – no matter what option the Israelis took – would be bad.  Weapons were found on board.  These so called peace activists attacked the boarders, knifing one and tossing another soldier over the side from the looks of one video.  Stun grenades, fire bomb(Molotov cocktail?).

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The “flotilla” came from Turkey.  No incidents were encountered on five of the six vessels boarded.  But it was the sixth vessel that made the news and once again – no matter what Israel did, world opinion would go against it – as planned from the start.  On that sixth boat, the Turkish-flagged ferry Mavi Marmara; nine passengers were killed.  among the activists who were killed in the struggle were recovered pistols along with their empty casings.

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Seven Navy commandos wounded, two seriously. And they were sent in with paint ball guns-at least these troops had actual guns and ammo for backup.  But they were met with metal poles and knives at first, then the live fire from the pistols.

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Gaza is at war with Israel.  A naval blockade by Israel is legal. But this story only leads to other stories that caught my eye recently.

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First, the news about Israel stationing some of its subs, so that at least one sub will be operating off the Iranian coastline. Three of Israel’s its five Dolphin class submarines will be in the Red Sea from now on. These Dolphin class submarines are presumed to be armed with cruise missiles (equipped with nuclear warheads). Two of these subs are brand new and the older boats of this class have since been upgraded  to include the larger fuel capacity, converting more torpedo tubes to the larger 650mm size, and installing new electronics. The fuel and torpedo tube mods appear to have something to do with stationing the subs off the coast of Iran. The new Dolphins cost about $650 million in US dollars.

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These submarines were built by Germany for Israel and have larger fuel capacity (to make the trip around the Horn of Africa if needed) if the Suez canal is unavailable in the future.  Larger fuel capacity also equals longer on station time.  Stated endurance is over 10,000 kilometers and about 50 days at sea.

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The Dolphins have a fuel cell base propulsion system which makes them very quiet.  Hard to detect by the Iranians.  The first 3 subs Israel received did not have the AIP (Air Independent Propulsion) system.

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Key Data (from Naval-technology.com):

Crew 30

Dimensions:

Length 57.3m

Beam 6.8m

Displacement (Surfaced) 1,640t

Displacement (Dived) 1,900t

Performance:

Dived Speed 20kt

Snorting Speed 11kt

Range Surfaced 8,000 miles at a surface speed of 8kt

Range Dived 400 miles at a dived speed of 8kt

Diving Depth 350m

Endurance 30 days

Weapon Systems:

Weapons Capacity 16 surface-to-surface missiles or torpedoes

Surface-to-Surface Missile Harpoon

Bow Torpedo Launch Tubes 10

Four Tubes 650mm diameter

Six Tubes 533mm diameter

Torpedoes DM2A3

Weapon Control ISUS 90-1 TCS

Electronic Warfare4CG(V)2 Timnex electronic support measures

Sensors:

RadarElta surface search radar, I-band

CSU 90 hull-mounted passive and active search and attack radar

FAS-3 flank array passive search radar

SonarPRS-3 passive ranging sonar

PeriscopesKollmorgen periscopes

Propulsion:

Engines3 x 16V MTU 396 SE 84 diesel engines

Alternator3 x 750kW

MotorSiemens 2.85MW sustained power motor

Single shaft

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Why post such in depth data on these submarines?  Recently, I have been investigating as best as I can through the internet, the rumors about the North Korean mini sub supposed attack on the BP floating oil rig Deepwater Horizon.  I was going through the motions of a google search when I came across some web forum where someone was blaming Israel for sinking the South Korean frigate.  If the reader wishes to read such “information,” they are welcome to do so.  I however, do not give any credence to that type of fiction.  Why you ask?  If I’m still looking into the North Korean mini sub rumor even after all this time – why will I not give any consideration to this rumor?  Because it was racially, and religious (anti-Jewish) motivated in my opinion.

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But, today’s search also lead me to this interesting article in Haaretz.com, dated June 1, 2010.  Entitled “Mossad Chief: Israel gradually becoming burden on U.S.”  The first paragraph really grabbed my attention, quote:  Mossad Chief Meir Dagan said on Tuesday that Israel is progressively becoming a burden on the United States. “Israel is gradually turning from an asset to the United States to a burden,” said Dagan, speaking before the Knesset’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. end quote.

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It is sad, but with the current administration of American President Barrack H. Obama – Mr. Dagan is correct.  It might be better to say that Israel is a burden to Obama and his followers, but not to the American people in general.

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UPDATE 1 (June 1, 2010):  The Jerusalem Post  ”IDF: Global Jihad on flotilla”  by Yaakov Katz.  First paragraph is pretty important here.  Dozens of passengers who were aboard the Mavi Marmara Turkish passenger ship are suspected of having connections with global jihad-affiliated terrorist organizations, defense officials said on Tuesday, amid growing concerns that Turkish warships would accompany a future flotilla to the Gaza Strip. (http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177169).  And this from The New York Post (http://www.nypost.com/p/news/opinion/opedcolumnists/turkish_blood_bath_Jean7yjj5Salz75brRSsMJ#ixzz0peJthsmc).

UPDATE 2 (June 4, 2010): Two items today.  This from The Jerusalem Post (http://www.jpost.com/Israel/Article.aspx?id=177445).  And this from Information Dissemination this bit of theory. (http://www.informationdissemination.net/2010/06/hezbollah-threatens-unrestricted-naval.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed:+InformationDissemination+(Information+Dissemination)).

UPDATE 3 (June 8, 2010):  This bit of news from something called the Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center entitled “IHH Preparations for a Violent Confrontation with IDF Soldiers Aboard the Turkish Ship Mavi Marmara.  Initial conclusions from questioning passengers and examining equipment on board the ship.” (http://www.terrorism-info.org.il/malam_multimedia/English/eng_n/html/hamas_e110.htm).

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REF. June 1, 2010. Naval-technology.com.  SSK Dolphin Class Attack Submarine, Israel.(<a href=”http://www.naval-technology.com/projects/dolphin/”>SSK Dolphin Class Attack Submarine, Israel</a>).

Dolphin-class submarine (http://www.armybase.us/2009/09/israel-gets-two-more-dolphin-class-submarines-from-germany/).

Strategypage.com. June 1, 2010. (http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htsub/articles/20100601.aspx?).

Reuters AlertNet.  April 17, 2010.(http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L1184543.htm).

tIMES Online. May 30, 2010. (http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article7140282.ece).

Haaretz.com. June 1, 2010. by Jonathan Lis. (http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/mossad-chief-israel-gradually-becoming-burden-on-u-s-1.293540).

Haaretz.com. June 1, 2010. by Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff, Anshel Pfeffer.(http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/israel-navy-commandos-gaza-flotilla-activists-tried-to-lynch-us-1.293089).

My previous article dealing with NK subs/Deepwater Horizon (http://www.theshanksdimension.com/2010/05/deepwater-horizon-target-of-north-korea-special-ops-service/).