Sweden lays the keel for a new submarine class
- The construction of HMS Blekinge was ordered in 2015.
- It has room for 26 sailors and underwater craft.
- Sweden has spent $840 million to improve its submarine designs.
As Sweden prepares its bid to join the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), it has also passed a milestone in terms of strengthening its military capacity. Last month, the country laid the keel for its first submarine in over 20 years – called HMS Blekinge – manufacturer Saab said in a press release.
Keel laying is an old shipbuilding tradition where coins were placed under the keel of the ship during the construction phase to bring it good luck. In submarine manufacturing, the ceremony is performed when the first hull sections are about to be joined together.
The project started in 2014 when the Swedish government began to lay out plans to strengthen its underwater capability. The next year, the country ordered its two new submarines in two decades.
The submarines of the Blekinge class
The new craft are Blekinge-class submarines. Measuring 213 feet (66 m) in length, each of these subs will have a displacement of 1,925 tons and be powered by three diesel engines and three Stirling engines. The latter of the engines uses Air Independent Propulsion (AIP) which allows the submarine to dive for a period of more than 18 days, Naval News reported.