Yugo-class submarine

The Yugo class submarine is a class of four midget submarines used primarily for infiltration and espionage by North Korea. The class is so named because it was built to plans supplied to North Korea by Yugoslavia in 1965.

Class overview
Name: Yugo class
Builders: Yukdaeso-ri shipyard
Operators:
Succeeded by: Sang-O class
In commission: Late 1960s
Completed: 8
Active: 4
Lost: 3
Retired: 1
Preserved: none
General characteristics
Type: midget submarine
Displacement: 90 up to 110 tons (submerged)
Length: 20 m
Beam: 2 m
Propulsion: Single-shaft MTU diesel engine
Speed:
  • 10 knots (19 km/h) surfaced
  • 4 knots (7.4 km/h) submerged
Range: Unable to reach the southern extreme of South Korea
Capacity: 4-6 Special forces troops
Armament: Some armed with two 21-inch (530 mm) torpedoes, possibly in drop collars.
Notes: First successful indigenous midget submarine

Description

The Yugo-class is a family of midget submarines which are not all identical. The displacement is either the standard 90 tons of the original Yugoslavian design for the early units, or 110 tons for the later units. Armament is either a pair of 400 mm torpedo tubes (early units) or a pair of 21 in (533mm) short torpedo tubes (later units).

All units have the same range: 550 nautical miles (1,020 km) at 10 knots (19 km/h) on the surface and 50 nautical miles (93 km) at 4 knots (7.4 km/h) submerged.

History

The final vessel was built in the 1980s, after which they were superseded by the Sang-O class submersibles. In 1998 one out of six submarines was captured by the South Koreans.

In July 2007, four were transferred to Iran to repay part of North Korea's debts to Iran. The last one was retired, but kept by the North Koreans.

In the early 2000s, Vietnam "gained experience" with these craft prior to ordering Russian Kilo-class diesel-electric submarines for denial of area capabilities, specifically against Red China's fleet per the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

In March 2016, it was announced that the North Korean Navy had lost one of the ships during exercises.[1][2][3]

Export and foreign production

A variation of the Yugo class has been spotted in La Havana harbour, Cuba. Only a single vessel has been seen, and it is unknown the actual number of units and the key differences with the original Yugo. Rumored to be named "Delfin", it's unknown if it was built in North Korea, or in Cuba with Korean assistance.

Four of the class serve with the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy

See also

References
  1. "North Korea has reportedly lost a submarine". CBS News. Reuters. 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  2. "North Korea submarine 'missing' as US-South Korea drills continue". BBC. 12 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  3. Payton, Matt (13 March 2016). "North Korean submarine that went missing is believed to have sunk, new reports claim". The Independent. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
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