U-33
History
Germany
Name	U-33
Builder	Howaldtswerke, Kiel
Laid down	30 April 2001
Launched	September 2004
Commissioned	13 June 2006
Status	In active service
General characteristics
Class and type	Type 212
Type	submarine
Displacement	1,450 tonnes (1,430 long tons) surfaced 1,830 tonnes (1,800 long tons) submerged
Length	56 m (183.7 ft) 57.2 m (187.66 ft) (2nd batch)
Beam	7 m (22.96 ft)
Draft	6 m (19.68 ft)
Installed power	1 x MTU-396 16V (2,150 kW); 1 x Siemens Permasyn electric motor Type FR6439-3900KW (2,850 kW)
Propulsion	1 MTU 16V 396 diesel-engine[1] 9 HDW/Siemens PEM fuel cells, 30–40 kW each (U31) 2 HDW/Siemens PEM fuel cells each with 120 kW (U32, U33, U34)[2] 1 Siemens Permasyn electric motor 1700 kW, driving a single seven-bladed skewback propeller
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h) submerged, 12 knots surfaced[3]
Range	8,000 nmi (14,800 km, or 9,196 miles) at 8 knots (15 km/h) surfaced 3 weeks without snorkeling, 12 weeks overall
Endurance	Surface 14,800 km at 15 km/h, Subsurface 780 km at 15 km/h, 3,000 nmi at 4 kn,
Test depth	over 700 m (2,296 ft)[4]
Complement	5 officers, 22 men
Sensors and processing systems	CSU 90 (DBQS-40FTC), Sonar: ISUS90-20, Radar: Kelvin Hughes Type 1007 I-band nav.,
Electronic warfare & decoys	EADS FL 1800U suite
Armament	6 x 533 mm torpedo tubes (in 2 forward pointing groups of 3) with 13[5] DM2A4, A184 Mod.3, Black Shark Torpedo, IDAS missiles and 24 external naval mines (optional)

U-33 (S183) is the third Type 212A submarine of the German Navy.

It was laid down 30 April 2001 by HDW in Kiel, launched in September 2004 and commissioned on 13 June 2006.

Service history

U-33 is currently part of the 1st Ubootgeschwader, based in Eckernförde. The submarine's first mission was participation in Operation Active Endeavour in 2007.^[6]

References