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| U33, submarine of the German Navy |
The
following photos were taken during my visit to Kiel, on 21st and 22th of June,
the first days of the 137th Kiel Week. The Kiel Week (German: Kieler
Woche) or Kiel Regatta is an annual sailing event in Kiel, the capital
of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. It is the largest sailing event in the
world, and also one of the largest Volksfeste in Germany, attracting
millions of people every year from all over Germany and neighboring
countries. The first weekend of the Kiel Week, the famous Naval Base of
Kiel, opens its gates for just four hours per day, for thousands of
tourists who are eager to visit the German Navy warships and dozens of
foreign warships which visit the city of Kiel, to honor the Kiel Week.
Note that, the majority of the visiting warships had returned from the
NATO BALTOPS (Baltic Operations) Exercise, an annual joint,
multinational maritime-focused exercise. It is designed
to improve training value for participants enhance flexibility and
interoperability, and demonstrate resolve among allied and partner
forces in defending the Baltic Sea region. The only submarine present those days a German Navy Type 212 class, the submarine U33.
Type 212 class is a highly advanced design of non-nuclear submarine
developed by Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft AG (HDW) for the German and
Italian navies. It features diesel propulsion and an additional
air-independent propulsion (AIP) system using Siemens proton exchange
membrane (PEM) compressed hydrogen fuel cells.
The submarines of the class can operate at high speed on diesel power
or switch to
the AIP system for silent slow cruising, staying submerged for up to
three weeks without surfacing and with little exhaust heat. Type 212 is the first fuel cell propulsion system equipped submarine series. The U33 was
laid down in April 2001 by Howaldtswerke, Kiel, launched in September
2004 and commissioned on June 13, 2006. Enjoy photos!
