Dolgorae-class submarine explained

The Dolgorae-class submarine (Hangul: 돌고래급 잠수정) was a type of midget submarine designed and acquired for the Republic of Korea Navy. All three units are now retired.^[1]

These midget submarines were the first South Korean submarines of any type. They were acquired primarily to obtain initial experience with the basics of operating a submarine force. The secondary mission to train surface ASW ships in the detection of North Korean midget submarines.

Replacement

In November 2011, South Korea unveiled plans for a new mini-sub designated KSS-500A. In September 2015, Jane's.com reported that Hyundai Heavy Industries started construction of a single 40m (130feet) long HDS-400 mini submarine for an unnamed naval customer.^[2]

Ships in the class

Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Status
		2 April 1982	1985	2003	Retired; museum ship at Seoul Battleship Park
		1987?	1990	2016	Retired
		1988?	1991	2016	Retired

In November 2017, SSM-051 was opened as a museum ship in the new Seoul Battleship Park beside the Han River in western Seoul.^[3]

References

• The information in this article is based on that in its Korean equivalent.

Notes and References

1. News: 30 June 2015 . S. Korean Navy's first-generation submarines decommissioned . 14 July 2015 .
2. News: Rahmat . Ridzwan . 24 Sep 2015 . Hyundai begins construction of mini-submarine for undisclosed customer . 8 Oct 2015 .
3. News: Kim. Se-jeong. Seoul Battleship Park opens Wednesday. 23 November 2017. The Korea Times. 22 November 2017.