Taigei : Japan's Super-Duper Next Generation Big Whale-Class Submarine

 

Launch of JS Taigei ( SS-513 ) at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries'
Kobe Shipyard 14th Oct 2020. Photo : JMSDF

The Japanese Maritime Self Defense Force ( JMSDF ) had just revealed the name of its next generation attack submarine during its launch on 14th Oct 2020. It is known as the Taigei ( たいげい, 大鯨 ), meaning " big whale ". Post-World War II Japanese submarines had a tradition of being named after marine phenomenon or auspicious creatures, be it real or mythical. So while the previous generations of Japan's hunter-killer submarine ( SSK ) classes had been named after tides and dragons, this time though it might just be named after whales.   

The naming of warships, especially the first in a series, can be very important as this will generally also be adopted as the name of the class. The Japanese knew this well enough to even refer to the lead ship of a class as the name ship ( ネームシップ  nemu shippu). The name of the first-in-class also usually sets the tone and direction for the names of the subsequent vessels that would follow in the series. 

Kujira!

In Japanese, the kanji character for whale is 鯨. On its own, this is usually pronounced as kujira ( Kun-reading ) but when combined as a word with another kanji character it is usually read as gei ( On-reading ). 

Ukiyo-e painting by Hokusai of the appearance of a gigantic whale
in the Goto Islands of Nagasaki Prefecture circa 1830. Wikipedia  

Whales and dolphins have an important place in the culture of Japan's indigenous Ainu people. They have lived with and hunted these marine creatures for sustenance as far back as time immemorial and there are folklore and festivals to celebrate their special relationship with these animals. In other parts of Japan especially around the Kii Peninsular of Honshu, coastal fishermen have been whaling with traditional methods for several centuries. Large scale commercial whaling with modern pelagic fleets only began about a hundred years ago during the Meiji era and intensified after World War II when Japan faced an acute shortage of food to feed its people. Whale meat then became a major source of protein for many Japanese in post-war Japan. However, as their country became more affluent, the Japanese could afford to import beef, pork and other meats such that whale meat consumption is now uncommon. That's not surprising at all because whale meat is tough and not as palatable as beef. Wagyu or Japanese beef taste a million times better than whale meat, or any meat for that matter.  

Annual Whale Festival at Toba City, Mie Prefecture.
Photo : Mainichi Shimbun

As centuries of over exploitation has drastically reduced the whale population globally, the International Whaling Commission adopted a moratorium on commercial whaling in 1982. Japan is one of the handful of member nations that defied the moratorium and continued with large scale whale hunting, purportedly for scientific research. After decades of unsuccessful lobbying for the ban to be lifted, Japan eventually withdrew its IWC membership in 2018. Japan's insistence on commercial whaling which required millions of dollars of government subsidy annually might be the result of lobbying by powerful political groups with vested interests. It has alienated Japan with many anti-whaling nations including Australia, who vehemently opposed Japanese whaling activities in the southern oceans. Hopefully this senseless culling will stop in the near future.

On a lighter note, whales of various types are also featured in many Japanese manga and anime including Children of the Sea ( trailer below ), Tico of the Seven Seas and my favourite, Children of the Whale ( Kujira no Kora wa Sajo ni Utau クジラの子らは砂上に歌う ).

                                                                                      Children of the Sea Trailer                                                               

                                                                             

    

Submarine Names

While the navies of the world had been deploying surface vessels for centuries, the history of modern submarines only went back about a hundred years. Especially in the early years, submarines do not bear traditional names like their surface counterparts did but instead were assigned alphanumeric characters like U-47 or I-400. This was because the early submarines were generally of lower tonnage and were only considered as boats, and navies by tradition do not name small crafts and boats. 

Even has the design and function of submarines grew increasingly complex and with their tonnage possibly exceeding those of their surface counterparts, they were still called boats, again by tradition. The only thing that has changed in recent years especially post-WWII is nowadays almost all the world's submarines are named.

JMSDF's long standing tradition of naming its submarines after oceanic currents is very apt since they are vessels of the deep and are supposed to ride the currents to strike with precision. Being an island nation surrounded by the oceans, the various currents flowing around the Japanese archipelago would be of significance as they will have a huge impact on the climate and the way of life for the people. However, after decades of naming them after currents, there are now many Japanese boats of different generations bearing the same name like Kuroshio ( 3 ), Harushio ( 2 ) and Oyashio ( 2 ). This creates confusion especially when the JMSDF historically retires its submarines after only about twenty years in service and boats of two different generations with very similar sounding names are concurrently in active service. 

The arrival of the Soryu-class SSK changed this long standing habit with the entire class named after dragons. If anything, this allows for the instant distinction of submarine class and capability just from the name alone, well mostly, if you disregard the fact the the last two boats of the Soryu-class are actually powered by lithium batteries instead of the usual lead-acid accumulators combined with air-independent propulsion technology found in the rest of the class. Naming submarines after dragons are also apt as dragons, at least in East Asian culture, are powerful mythical creatures of the sea that even have the ability to unleash storms of unimaginable ferocity. 

With the completion of the 12 boat Soryu-class submarines, it is now evident that the JMSDF is naming the lead boat of the new class after a whale. That itself does not guarantee that the subsequent vessels will also bear names of whales. For all we know it might be a marine mammal series - sea lion, seal, walrus, dolphin, or a even possibly fish series. However, based on the naming pattern observed since 1955 and the fact that the Japanese love conformity and order, I would hazard a guess that the rest of the series will also be named after whales.  

Naming Submarines After Whales

  

The naming of submarines after whales ( and dolphins ) is not entirely novel as proven by the numerous US Navy submarines that bear such names : Finback, Narwhale, Porpoise, Grampus ( Risso's dolphin ), Whale, Dolphin and Cachalot ( sperm whale ). In the JMSDF though, that would be a first. Even more than ocean currents and dragons, whales share many characteristics with modern submarines and to name them after whales are definitely appropriate.

For instance, both are deep diving, air breathing, fearless hunters of the oceans. Most importantly the use of sound waves in echo-location for navigation, locating prey and even performing an acoustic attack to disorientate the prey are tactics common to both toothed whales, dolphins and the modern sonar-equipped submarine. 

In fact, the Japanese have nicknamed the JS Akishio, a decommissioned Yushio-class submarine which is currently on display at the JMSDF Kure Museum, as the Iron Whale ( 鉄のくじら tetsu no kujira ) and the museum itself, Museum of the Iron Whale.

The Iron Whale JS Akishio at the JMSDF Kure Museum
Photo : Wikipedia

IJN Ships Named After Whales

While the JMSDF never had a vessel named after whales until now, its predecessor the Imperial Japanese Navy ( IJN ) had the history of naming 3 of its submarine tenders after whales. They were chronologically the Jingei ( 迅鯨 swift whale ), Chogei ( 長鯨 long whale ) and the Taigei ( 大鯨 big whale ). 

Submarine Tender IJN Jingei. Image : Pit Road

The IJN Jingei and IJN Chogei were sister ships that were the Imperial Navy's first purpose built submarine tenders. Launched in 1923 and 1924 respectively and with a standard displacement of 5160 long ton, the Jingei-class submarine tender were designed to perform multiple roles such as being the submarine division commander's flagship with the ability to resupply and support the communications and command and control for a division of 9 medium type submarines. They could also provide for crew accommodation, perform simple repairs and carry out torpedo maintenance works. They were armed with 4 x 140mm naval guns and 2 x 76mm anti-aircraft guns and a myriad of 25mm autocannons and 13mm machine guns. After 1930 they were even equipped with a float plane. 

Despite this seemingly impressive list of armament and capabilities, due to speed and size limitations, the Jingei-class tenders were unable to support the IJN's largest fleet submarines. They were largely obsolete by the time WWII commenced and were superseded by the IJN Taigei.

Submarine Tender IJN Taigei. Image : Aoshima

Launched in 1933 under the restrictions of the Washington Naval Treaty, the IJN Taigei was constructed as a large submarine tender with provisions for later conversion into an aircraft carrier. It was designed to support a division of the largest Japanese fleet submarines. Although it was the first major Japanese ship to be constructed using electric arc welding which was then considered innovative, lack of familiarity with the technique lead to weak welds, a warped hull and the appearance of many cracks later. The ship also suffered from poor stability because of some inherent flaws with the basic hull design resulting from an unfortunate combination of a high freeboard with a shallow draught. Its diesel engines also proved problematic, churning out only half the expected output. Damage from a typhoon shortly after completion in 1934 further delayed its integration into the fleet which eventually occurred in 1938. 

Works to convert the IJN Taigei to a light aircraft carrier commenced in Dec 1941 in Yokosuka and was originally scheduled to be completed in 3 months. It involved the installation of a 185m flight deck and the replacement of the problematic diesel engines with steam turbines. However, numerous problems and issues including bomb damage from the Doolittle air raid on Tokyo delayed the completion until November 1942. The vessel was then renamed the IJN Ryuho ( 龍鳳 dragon phoenix ).  

IJN Ryuho 1/700 waterline series. Image : Fujimi

The IJN Ryuho would carry out many aircraft ferry missions and training missions throughout the Pacific War and was also involved in combat including the Battle of the Philippine Sea in 1944. It was critically damaged during the Kure air raid of March 1945, stricken on 30th Nov 1945 and scrapped in 1946. 

 

JS Taigei ( SS-513 )

The JS Taigei ( SS-513 ) is the first-in-class of a new generation of advance diesel-electric attack submarine built for the JMSDF. It was also known as the 29SS ( 平成29年計画潜水艦 ) as it was promulgated in the defense plans in the 29th year of the Heisei era ( 2017 ) or even the 3000 Ton Class Submarine ( 3000トン型潜水艦 ) as that was the intended displacement of the new submarine.

It is the successor to the already very capable Soryu-class SSK with improvements in hull design for extreme quietness and impact resistance. The propeller and hull shapes are optimised to reduce flow noise generation and the submarine will adopt a floating floor structure with floorboards being attached to the inner shell via a buffer mechanism to reduce the outward transmission of vibrations and to protect the submarine against exogenous shock waves. 

Incorporating advance optical fiber technology, the integrated sonar suite comprising of a bow array, flank array and towed array, is designed to detect a future generation of very quiet submarines of Japan's near-peer rivals. The bow cylindrical array has a conformal horseshoe shape for improved directivity while the flank array has been changed from the conventional piezoelectric type hydrophones to an optical fiber hydrophone array making it smaller and lighter with reduced power requirements and reduced susceptibility to electromagnetic interference from within the submarine. The towed array has also been similarly infused with optical fiber technology for improved directivity and sensitivity.

The torpedo countermeasure system ( TCM ) installed on the Taigei is similar to those found on the last 5 Soryu-class submarines. The Type 1 Mod 1 non-hull penetrating photonics mast / periscope is said to be a licenced version of the Thales CM010 produced by Mitsubishi. Unlike traditional periscopes, these modern prism-less digital sensor masts only require very small apertures through the pressure hull for cabling and that preserves the integrity of the hull. They need not be directly above the user and are much more compact and can be housed entirely in the sail. This provides flexibility to the location of the control room which can be moved from the cramped upper deck to the more spacious second deck. Other areas of innovation are found in the submarine's C4ISTAR control systems which features enhanced combat management system and tactical display consoles. It is believed that the Taigei will be armed with japan's most advance Type 18 (G-RX6 ) torpedoes and the trusty Harpoon anti-ship missiles. 

JS Taigei Innovations.
Original image without annotations : Maritime Staff Office.

Just like the last two boats of the Soryu-class, the JS Taigei has a high efficiency power generation and storage system which utilises diesel engines and lithium-ion batteries, a combination which completely negates the need for an air-independent propulsion system. The lithium batteries, likely the Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide ( NCA ) variety that populated SS-511 and SS-512 as well, were developed by Japan's leading battery maker GS Yuasa. They have many advantages when compared with lead-acid batteries, including having a higher energy density, a greater depth of discharge, a greater efficiency, a shorter charging time, a lower rate of self-discharge, a longer lifespan and also being lighter and more compact. The only disadvantages are cost and the increase in the risk of combustion which can be somewhat mitigated through the incorporation of special protective circuitry.

All these advantages of lithium-ion battery technology will translate to better endurance, higher dash speed, and better survivability for the submarine. To rapidly charge its lithium batteries, the Taigei will feature a new snorkel power generation system which involves improvements to the snorkel, diesel engines and the generators.

Externally, the Taigei looks rather similar to the Soryu submarines with the same hull form, diving planes, propeller and x-shaped rudder. Its interior however is designed to accept female submariners with separate bunking facilities. This is also a first for the JMSDF as their silent service has only recently lifted restrictions on the placement of female personnel onboard submarines.

Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries at its Kobe shipyard at a cost of 80 billion yen ( US$800 million ), the JS Taigei was launched and named on 14th Oct 2020 by Defense Minister Kishi Nobuo ( 岸信夫 ) who is actually ex-Prime Minister Abe Shinzo's brother. The commanding officer of the pre-commissioning unit is 45 year old Commander Tsuchiya Tooru ( 二等海佐 土屋亨 ) who will very likely continue as the first CO upon the Taigei's commissioning.

The boat is scheduled to be commissioned in Mar 2022 and will be converted into an experimental submarine for the testing and evaluation of new technology for Japan's next generation submarines. This arrangement will allow existing JMSDF submarines to dedicate their entire service life to operational and training matters, rather than the existing routine of having every submarine in the fleet to take turns performing the testbed role. Currently, the Japanese Ministry of Defense has allocated funds for three more submarines of the Taigei-class, SS-514 ( 30SS ) $697million, SS-515 ( 31SS ) $698million and SS-516 $702million. Budgetary approval for a fifth boat had been submitted on 30th Sep 2020. Following tradition, Mitsubishi and Kawasaki will each take turns building the submarines until the entire class is completed. 

The following photos and video of the launch and naming ceremony are courtesy of the JMSDF.

The JS Taigei is the 1320th ship ( 第一三二〇番船 )
constructed at the MHI Kobe shipyard.

Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi cutting rope with silver axe

Ceremonial Silver Launching Axe

Streamers activated as boat is launched

Colourful balloons released as boat moves down the slipway

More fitting and trails await the JS Taigei

                                                                                   JS Taigei Launch video                                                                                                                          

　　　　　　　　　　　    

Likely Names of the Taigei-Class Submarines

Assuming a naming convention comprising of whale names, other names likely to be selected for the submarines in the series will definitely include those already given to the IJN ships in the past and that will include Jingei and Chogei. However, to differentiate itself from its imperial past, JMSDF will omit the use of kanji characters in the written form of the ship's name and instead write it in the hiragana form. So the Japanese name of the submarine Taigei will be written as たいげい but not 大鯨. 

This practice of kanji omission is regrettable and rather frustrating. Many different kanji characters share the same pronunciation. To present a name comprising of a string of kanji characters in its syllabary hiragana form may not reveal the actual characters and therefore their meaning at one look. There will be none of this ambiguity when the names are presented in kanji, like in the bad old days. 

Below is a compilation of possible names for subsequent vessels.

			Kanji	Hiragana	Alphabetic	Meaning
			瑞鯨	ずいげい	Zuigei	Auspicious
			巨鯨	きょげい	Kyogei	Huge
			雪鯨	ゆきげい	Yukigei	Snow
			祥鯨	しょうげい	Shogei	Blessed
			雲鯨	うんげい	Ungei	Cloud
			魔鯨	まげい	Magei	Magical
			玉鯨	たまげい	Tamagei	Jade
			宝鯨	ほうげい	Hogei	Treasure
			仁鯨	じんげい	Jingei	Kind
			迅鯨	じんげい	Jingei	Swift
			騰鯨	とうげい	Togei	Leaping
			闘鯨	とうげい	Togei	Fighting
			涛鯨	とうげい	Togei	Wave
			韻鯨	いんげい	Ingei	Rhythm
			長鯨	ちょうげい	Chogei	Long
			遠鯨	えんげい	Engei	Afar
			淵鯨	えんげい	Engei	Abyssal
			焔鯨	えんげい	Engei	Flaming
			琥鯨	こげい	Kogei	Amber
			古鯨	こげい	Kogei	Ancient
			皇鯨	こうげい	Kogei	Emperor
			煌鯨	こうげい	Kogei	Glittering
			王鯨	おうげい	Ogei	King
			螢鯨	けいげい	Keigei	Fluorescent
			楽鯨	らくげい	Rakugei	Merry
			雷鯨	らいげい	Raigei	Thunder
			舞鯨	まいげい	Maigei	Dancing
			襲鯨	しゅうげい	Shugei	Attacking
			寿鯨	じゅげい	Shugei	Longevity
			若鯨	わかげい	Wakagei	Young

Some Taigei Specifications and Manga Art by @ginntokii via twitter

Taigei-Class Specifications

Displacement ( surface ) : 3000 Tonnes 

Displacement ( submerged ) : 4200+ Tonnes?

Length 84.0m

Beam 9.1m

Draught : 10.4m

Complement : 70

Engine Type : Diesel-Electric

Storage : Lithium-Ion Battery - Lithium Nickel Cobalt Aluminium Oxide ( NCA ) ?

Propulsion : Screw Propeller x 1

Speed : 20 knots submerged

Range : ?

Operational Depth : ?

C4ISTAR

Submarine Combat Management System ( 潜水艦情報管理システム )

Core Network System ? ( 基幹ネットワークシステム )

Submarine Tactical Display System ZQX-12 ( 潜水艦戦術状況表示装置 )

Information Processing Subsystem OYX-1 ( 情報処理サブシステム )

Electronic Support Measures : NZLR-2 ( 電波探知装置 )

Surface Search Radar : ZPS-6H ( 対水上捜索用レーダ )

Sonar : ZQQ-8 Fiber-Optic Array ( ソナー ) ( 水中音波探知機 ) 

Periscope : Non-penetrating Periscope Type 1 Mod 1 ( 非貫通式潜望鏡1型改1 ) 

Armament 

HU-606 21 inch ( 533mm ) Torpedo Tubes x 6 ( 魚雷発射管 )

Type 18 Heavyweight Torpedo ( 18式長魚雷 )

UGM-84 Harpoon Missile ( ハープーン対艦 ミサイル)

Others

Torpedo Countermeasure System ( 潜水艦魚雷防御システム )

Snorkel Power Generation System ( スノーケル発電システム )   

The JMSDF currently has 9 Oyashio-class submarines and 11 Soryu-class submarines in operational service. The two oldest Oyashio boats have already been converted into training submarines, JS Oyashio TSS-3608 ( ex-SS-590 ) in 2015 and JS Michishio TSS-3609 ( ex-SS-591 ) in 2017. The last Soryu boat JS Toryu ( SS-512 ) will be commissioned in Mar 2021 and together with the JS Taigei, these two submarines will enable the JMSDF to achieve its goal of fielding 22 submarines by the year 2022. This fleet size is important to counter China's increasing number of sophisticated AIP capable Type 039A submarines.

With enhancement and innovation featured in virtually every sub-system, the Taigei looks set to revolutionize submarine design and operations. The fact that it will be a dedicated experimental submarine means that the JMSDF can push the boundaries of advance technology in a continuous manner and introduce them to its operational fleet at the earliest opportunity, without having to wait years and decades for a new class of submarine to be constructed. This timely introduction of advance capabilities has already been observed among the Soryu-class boats, like the torpedo countermeasure system that was installed from the 8th to the 12th boat, and the lithium-ion battery of the last 2 boats of the series. The Taigei will no doubt accelerate the testing and implementation of such future technology within the Japanese submarine fleet. And that is definitely a good thing. 

May the Taigei be the first in a pod. Ganbatte Kudasai!

Victory-Class Missile Corvettes : Crooked Masts And Other Quirky Stuff ...



Missile Corvette P88 RSS Victory in its original configuration
Photo : Lurssen


The Victory-class missile corvette ( MCV ) of the Republic of Singapore Navy ( RSN ) might be small but do not let its size fool you. At 530 tonnes, these tiny multi-role platforms are not much bigger than the fast attack crafts favoured by many small navies of the world but they do pack a huge punch and could pose a serious threat to much larger opponents.

Based on the MGB 62 design by German shipbuilder Lurssen Werft, in its original configuration, its impressive list of capabilities included anti-surface warfare ( ASuW ), anti-submarine warfare ( ASW ), anti-air warfare ( AAW ) and electronic warfare ( EW ), encompassing the domains of  maritime surveillance / interdiction and confined / shallow waters operations.

First commissioned 30 years ago in 1990, the missile corvettes are fast approaching the end of their service life. The RSN plans to retire them by 2025 and replace them with a new class of warships known as multi-role combat vessels ( MRCV ). That timeline has since been revised and postponed for another 5 years to 2030.

We look at the history and evolution of the Victory-class missile corvette through some quirky facts that you may not have known.





Missile Corvette RSS Vengeance at Ex Kakadu 2008
Source : Royal Australian Navy

It All Started With The MGB

The RSN ordered its first generation missile equipped vessels, the Sea Wolf-class missile gunboat ( MGB ) in 1968 and had integrated and commissioned them between 1975 and 1976. They were armed with the Gabriel anti-ship missile ( AShM ) of Israeli origin. The Gabriel was the world's first operational sea-skimming AShM and had already proven its worth during the Yom Kippur War of 1973 in the Battle of Latakia. The use of semi-active radar homing meant that the MGB would have to track the target with its fire control radar and issue guidance command to the missile in flight. The Gabriel consequently has a maximum range of only 20km, limited by the radar horizon.

Operating these warships with then rather complex weapon systems allowed the RSN to acquire the technological expertise and nurture a core group of combat officers and technical personnel who were able to effectively operate and maintain sophisticated weapons system and platforms. The experience and knowledge gained from the MGB acquisition and integration also gave the RSN confidence to define and design its next generation surface combatant, the missile corvette, based on its unique littoral operational requirements.

Maintaining The Technological Edge

Although the RSN was the first among the South East Asian navies to operate missile boats and the first to have successfully test fired an AShM in 1974, it quickly found itself operationally disadvantaged barely a few years later when a regional near-peer entity acquired a longer range AShM with active radar homing and advanced fire control radar. It was felt that the shorter range of the Gabriel represented a significant handicap and the RSN conducted a study in 1979 to build three 57m boats armed with longer range active radar homing missiles. Another option was to upgrade the existing MGB by removing two to three of the Gabriel missiles and replacing them with more advanced active homing missiles.

The decision to upgrade the MGB came in early 1983, but the RSN ditched the proposed 57m craft and instead decided in December 1983 on acquiring six larger 62m missile corvettes. The anti-ship missile system selected for both the MGB upgrade and the MCV was the McDonnell Douglas ( now Boeing ) RGM-84 Harpoon.

RSN's New Found Mission

Apart from being inadvertently caught up in a regional AShM arms race, justification for procuring the missile corvettes also came in the early eighties when the RSN, having lost its sense of purpose and direction after a long period of preoccupation with policing and patrolling the coastal waters of Singapore especially during the Vietnamese boat people refugee crisis, suddenly discovered it had a critical role to play in keeping Singapore's sea lines of communication ( SLOC ) open as the island nation's trade dependent economy, its energy needs and food imports were entirely reliant on the premise of free and open navigation on the high seas. This realization of the RSN's strategic role was accredited to Mr Peter Ho, then Head of Naval Plans Department, who examined Singapore's trade statistics and discovered the importance of the shipping lanes to the survival and security of Singapore.

In line with this new found vision and responsibility, the RSN could no longer remain a coastal navy contented with near shore operations. Bigger warships with better seakeeping characteristics would be required in order to operate effectively up to a thousand kilometers or more away from the home base. With a length of 45m and displacing just 270 tonnes the MGBs were really more suitable for littoral operations.

At the same time the threat that submarines posed to the trade routes became ever more real as regional navies modernize and either acquired, expanded or upgraded their submarine fleets. This meant that the corvettes would have to have anti-submarine capabilities as well, a first for the RSN.

The V-class MCV

The first corvette was built and launched in Germany in 1988 while the remaining five were constructed domestically by Singapore Shipbuilding and Engineering ( now known as Singapore Technology Marine ). The first three corvettes were commissioned in 1990 while the rest were commissioned a year later.

They all had names starting with the letter V - Victory, Valour, Vigilance, Valiant, Vigour and Vengeance. Apart from the first-in-class RSS Victory, the other 5 ships had their names chosen by the public through a name-the-ship competition in Jan 1988. The series of names that were pre-selected included RSS Vampire, RSS Vulcan and RSS Vendetta but the participants were free to submit other names as long as it began with the letter V. In those pre-internet days, the entry forms had to be distributed nationwide at major shopping malls, libraries and community centres. They also appeared in newspapers and even the Ministry of Defense's own publication the Pioneer magazine. By April, the RSN had received more than 24000 entries. The prizes were sponsored by the builder of the corvettes, SSE.

The six missile corvettes form the 188 Squadron / 8th Flotilla of the RSN based at Tuas Naval Base in the south-western part of Singapore. This year marks the 30th anniversary for the MCV as well as the 188th Squadron.

Name Our Ships competition entry slip circa 1988
Photo : RSN

The Tall Mast

During the age of sail, the mast was an essential part of the ship whose purpose was to carry the sail and by virtue of its height the best position to display navigation lights, signal flags and the best position to place lookouts and snipers. The biggest sailing vessels frequently have multiple masts and they are usually constructed of solid timber.

Modern vessels in contrast have masts not to carry sails but to house electronic equipment necessary for navigation and warfighting in the case of naval vessels. Height still matters as many of these devices operate by line of sight principles and the higher up you position them the greater their effectiveness or the better the range. Navigation radar, fire control radar, surface and air search radar, electro-optic sensors, communications antennae, electronic counter-measure and electronic support measure devices are among the myriad of equipment found on or within the hollow structure of the mast proper. Naval vessels have the tallest masts. If you spot a ship from afar and it has a tall mast, chances are it would be a man-of-war.

The most striking thing a person would notice when looking at the profile view or the silhouette of the Victory-class corvette is the disproportionately tall mast in relation to the length of the hull. While the MCV has a length of 62m, the combined height of the main mast and auxiliary mast could reach about 36m above the waterline. It never failed to remind me of the World War II Japanese battleships with their pagoda superstructures.

It was as if the marine architects had taken the blue prints of a 1200-tonne corvette, kept all the weapons and sensors as it were, left the mast intact but had shrunken the hull. So you end up with a warship that packed the firepower of a corvette but housed in the body of a gunboat. After all, the MCV was based on Lurssen Werft's MGB 62 design with the MGB presumably meaning missile gunboat and 62 indicating the length of the design in meters.

The mast of the Victory-class MCV is so tall and is crammed with so many electronic devices that it has a tendency to make the corvette seem top heavy and perhaps contribute to a higher tendency to roll in adverse weather conditions. Having said that, the MCV has been known to roll more than 40 degrees both ways during a tropical storm, causing pots and pans to tumble in the galley and lookouts on the bridge to have to grip the railings tight. Yet, miraculously the corvette would right itself after each swell to see another day. After all the MCV hull is constructed of light gauge steel built around a special longitudinal framing system for ruggedness and good sea keeping characteristics, with the superstructure being constructed using marine grade aluminium alloy. Accordingly, the MCV is able to withstand conditions up to sea state 5. Kudos to the naval architects who designed the ship.





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RSS Valiant, KD Jebat and HMAS Ballarat at Ex Kakadu 2005.
 Note the VDS at the stern and the tall mast.
Photo : Royal Australian Navy

The Crooked Auxiliary Mast

In its original configuration before the Ship Life Extension Program ( SLEP ) upgrades, the MCV had a rather signature angled auxiliary mast which towered above the main mast. This slanting was necessary to minimize electromagnetic interference ( EMI ) among the various radars, ESM and ECM installations within or atop the main mast.

The MCV's mast can be broadly divided into two parts - the main mast and the auxiliary mast. The main mast is part of the ship structure and supports the heaviest electronic devices. Its top platform bears the rotating Ericsson Sea Giraffe 150HC air and surface search radar while the front and back facing tracking / fire-control radars are installed on lower pedestals in front of and behind the mast proper. To create even higher points for the placement of ESM and tactical communications intelligence ( TACOMINT ) antennae, the auxiliary mast is installed above the main mast from a position posterior to the search radar.    

In order to minimise EMI between the various installations, the electronic experts at DSO National Laboratories determined that there was a necessity for the ESM and TACOMINT antennae to be placed concentric with the search radar's centre of rotation. Hence the naval architects engineered a customised slanted auxiliary mast with carefully calculated lengths and slant angles to place the antennae directly above the rotating radar. The auxiliary mast was constructed using materials with the desirable mechanical strength, rigidity and fatigue lifespan to hold not only these antennae and their connecting cables but also the navigation radar.

With the SLEP, much of the original mast mounted equipment have been upgraded or replaced and the legacy EMI considerations no longer existed. The auxiliary mast was therefore straightened, leading to a more normal appearance. Thus looking at the numerous MCV photos, the alignment of the auxiliary mast gives immediate information whether it was a pre or post SLEP ship. 

Pre-SLEP RSS Vigour with slanted auxiliary mast

C Band Surveillance Radar

Larger warships such as destroyers and frigates tend to have their primary surveillance radars operating at the lower frequencies of S Band or L Band for superior detection range. However these lower frequency radars require large ( and therefore heavy ) antennae in order to achieve better angular resolution. As physical size and weight are major limiting factors for many naval applications on small vessels, the C Band surveillance radar system selected for the MCV is a calculated compromise between range and resolution within the loading constrains imposed on the main mast. 

The MCVs were originally equipped with the Ericsson ( now SAAB ) Sea Giraffe 150HC operating in C Band ( NATO G/H Band ) as their main air and surface search radar. It was a small, medium ranged 2D naval radar that is suitable for installation on small surface combatants. It is said to have a maximum instrumented detection range of 130km against fighter aircraft and 7km against very small, stealthy airborne targets.

With the SLEP, the corvettes had their radar system upgraded to the SAAB Sea Giraffe AMB ( Agile Multi-Beam ) which is an advanced 3D active phase array radar operating in the same G/H Band ( old IEEE nomenclature C Band ) between 5.4GHz to 5.9GHz. This multi-role, medium range surveillance radar has a high update rate and is optimised for detecting small air and surface targets, including sea-skimming missiles, in all kinds of environment including the littorals. The instrumented rage of the Sea Giraffe AMB is 180km. 

Post-SLEP RSS Valiant with Sea Giraffe AMB atop main mast.
Note straight auxiliary mast. Photo : Mindef

The Fish

Another unique feature of the Victory-class MCV was the presence of a white ovoid structure with fins at the stern. This was the Thomson Sintra TSM 2064 variable depth sonar ( VDS ) used to detect submarines a.k.a. the Fish. It can be deployed in either active or passive listening modes and was designed to be effective for shallow littoral waters. As the name implies, the VDS can be deployed at different depths beneath the ocean to penetrate different thermal and salinity layers, something which a hull-mounted sonar cannot do.

The naval architects had already done simulations and determined that hull-mounted sonars were not compatible with the hull form and operational profile of the MCV. Fortunately the TSM 2064 is small and light enough to be installed onboard small vessels like the MCV. The Victory-class corvettes are probably among the smallest ships equipped with VDS.

Together with its triple barrel torpedo launchers, the VDS was central to the anti-submarine capability of the MCV. 

Note that the Fish and the torpedo launchers were removed during the SLEP of the MCV between 2011 - 2013, taking away the ASW capabilities of the corvettes. Instead, the MCV gain a new capability in the form of the ScanEagle UAV.

RSS Vengeance with VDS at the stern during Ex Kakadu 2008.
Image : Royal Australian Navy

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles

It might surprise you but the naval architects had made design provisions for the MCV to operate unmanned rotary aircrafts. However, those provisions were not activated as the UAV technology was not mature enough then to produce viable candidates for deployment on a small naval platform like the MCV. One hurdle was the very low reliability of the unmanned rotary system, with very short mean time between failure. Another issue was the prohibitive cost involved in implementing a then immature technology. So it wasn't until early 2009 that ship-based trials with the ScanEagle UAV were successfully conducted on the flight decks of RSN's LST and frigate. Only upon completion of the MCV's life extension program between 2011 and 2013 did we see the addition of the UAV capability to the corvettes.

The ScanEagle is a small, long endurance, low altitude UAV derived from the SeaScan UAV originally used by commercial fishermen to track schools of tuna. It has a wing-span of 3.1m, a length of 1.6m and weighs about 20kg. Its cruising speed is around 55 knots. It has a maximum range of more than 100km and an endurance of about 20 hours. Its service ceiling is about 16000ft. The UAV requires no flight deck or runway and is instead launched by a catapult and recovered by a proprietary SkyHook retrieval system.





The ScanEagle on its launcher on the aft deck of the MCV
flanked on both sides by 8 cell Barak VLS. Photo : RSN
 

Initially a land-based commercial off-the-shelf UAV system, even when adapted for naval use, the ScanEagle is usually deployed on the wide flight deck of large vessels such as frigates and never on smaller vessels the size of the MCV. The MCV never had a flight deck to start off with and its confined aft deck area had to support different activities including missile firing, sea boat launch and recovery, and mooring operations. Installing the ScanEagle launcher in its original configuration would have taken up too much space and would have prevented the undertaking of other deck activities. Instead, the naval engineers of the DSO National Laboratories came up with the idea of a modified launcher mounted on a customized turntable. Controlled rotation of the launcher would create an optimized UAV launch envelop while stowing it when not in use would create the necessary clearances for the firing of the Barak missiles and other deck operations. UAV operations can be conducted even under high sea state conditions as the turntable launcher is always firmly secured to the ship deck even when rotating. This innovative launch system also reduces the launch preparation time by 90% and can be operated by just a single ship crew instead of the usual three man team.





ScanEagle recovery with the SkyHook onboard RSS Valour.
RSN Photo.

Similarly, the SkyHook arrestor system for the recovery of the UAV had also been specially modified for the MCV. It would normally occupy an area of 25m² but was re-engineered to be extendable for recovery operations and retractable for stowage with a reduced footprint of just 10m². Despite this, the lack of open space on the aft deck still required the modification of the ScanEagle's flight path to be at an angle to the ship during retrieval in order to minimise safety risks. The SkyHook is mounted on the starboard side of the corvette close to when the torpedo launchers once stood.

The significance of the ScanEagle UAV is that it gives the MCV a surveillance capability that is organic to the ship, thus drastically increasing the situation awareness level of the ship crew. Flying ahead of the ship, the UAV provides, among other things, live video feeds of its surroundings. The ship therefore no longer needs to solely rely on the maritime patrol aircraft or third party inputs for information on its immediate threat environment and target coordinates. The ScanEagle can instead be deployed as long as weather conditions permit. It will allow the MCV to maintain its over-the-horizon surveillance and targeting capabilities even when operating far away from its home base, out of range of any supporting MPA.

Maritime Patrol Aircraft

The Republic of Singapore Air Force acquired six Short SH-7 Skyvan in 1973 ( three 3M-400-15 and three 3M-400-16 variants ) and conducted the first airborne maritime surveillance operation in 1975. Although the Harpoon AShM of the MCV is said to give it a beyond the horizon strike capability, the shipboard radar does not have that over-the-horizon detection range. In order to fully harness the long range strike capability of the Harpoon, the MCV needs help from maritime patrol aircraft to provide it with target coordinates. The MCV is therefore designed to work with the RSAF's Skyvan MPA and later its replacement, the Fokker F-50 Enforcer MPA, by means of secure digital communication and data link. 

Short SH-7 Skyvan Maritime Patrol Aircaft.
Photo : RSAF

RSAF 121 Squadron Fokker F-50 Enforcer MPA
Photo : Jun You via Jetphoto

Airborne Early Warning Aircraft

The MCVs were also upgraded to link up with the now retired E-2C Hawkeye AEW. The APS-138 surveillance radar of the E-2C provides automatic detection and tracking of targets over water and over land up to 200 nautical miles ( 360km ) which is much further than the detection range of the mast-mounted Sea Giraffe 150HC or even the Sea Giraffe AMB air and surface search radar of the MCV. The E-2C has now been replaced by the Gulfstream G550 CAEW.   

Harpoon Missiles

The MCV's 2 deck-mounted MK-141 quad Harpoon canister launchers pack a total of 8 RGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles which are capable of hitting ships beyond the horizon, up to 70 nautical miles away. The Harpoon AShM was selected for the RSN's MGB upgrade as well as the MCV project. They are probably the RGM-84D ( Block 1C ) version which was state-of-the-art during the late eighties. It uses inertial guidance mid-course and active radar homing for terminal guidance. A direct hit by a single missile could cripple a medium sized surface combatant such as a frigate and 2 or 3 hits would probably sink it. After three decades in service, the Harpoon launchers still adorns the decks of the MCV with no plans to replace them. 

MCV Harpoon missile firing. Photo : Mindef

Barak Missiles

The Barak missile of Israeli origin can be used against low flying aircraft and also as point defense against incoming missiles and projectiles. They are launched from 2 banks of 8-cell vertical launch unit located at the aft deck. The missile has a minimum effective range of 500m and maximum effective range of 10 - 12km. The Barak is a low cost, low maintenance air defense system and comes with its own set of fire control radar and optronic directors which can be seen mounted on the roof above the bridge of the MCV. It provides the ship with an automated, all-weather, 360 degree azimuth anti-missile capability.

The Barak system was still in development when the MCVs were commissioned in 1990 but provisions had been made by the naval architects for the installation of a hard-kill point defense system. Singapore was said to have actively participated in the joint development of the Barak system with IAI and Rafael. It was specially tailored for small ships and the RSN's unique operating environment. The Barak system was eventually acquired by the RSN in 1996 and retrofitted on all six corvettes. The first successful firing of the Barak missile by the RSN took place on 10th Sep 1997 in the South China Sea. Launched from RSS Valour, a Barak missile successfully intercepted an airborne target simulating a modern sea-skimming missile in both size and speed at a range of 6km.

Barak missile launch by RSS Vigour during Ex Simbex 2018
Photo : RSN

Oto Melara Main Gun

The Oto Melara Super Rapid 76mm 62 caliber naval gun is probably the biggest caliber a small ship can accommodate. It is compact enough not to require too much space below deck for installation. Not surprisingly, many navies have adopted the Oto Melara 76mm in its various forms on their small vessels. The Super Rapid has a firing rate of 120 rounds per minute and is effective against air and surface targets up to 16km away. Depending on the ammunition used, it may even be effective for short range point defense against missiles. Although it has a very high rate of fire, in practice the Super Rapid is frequently fired in short burst of three rounds. On the MCV the Oto Melara is mounted on the foredeck immediately in front of the bridge and any live firing is guaranteed to be a smoky and noisy affair.

Oto Melara 76mm Super Rapid on RSS Valour
Photo : Wikipedia

The muzzle cover of the 76mm Oto Melara Main Gun
Photo : Mindef

Rotating magazine of the Oto Melara 76mm seen below deck 
of a Formidable-class frigate. Photo : RSN

Torpedoes

Before the SLEP the corvettes had the Whitehead Alenia A244-S Mod 1 torpedo for use against submarines. These 324mm light weight torpedoes are stored and launched from two EuroTorp B515 triple tube launchers mounted on the deck of the MCV aft of the Harpoon missile canisters. They have a maximum range of 6000m and can reach a max depth of 600m, which is a lot deeper than the regional waters around Singapore. It has a maximum speed of 30 knots and has both active and passive acoustic homing capabilities. Their removal during the SLEP signaled the end of ASW operations for the MCV. This role was transferred to the Formidable-class stealth frigates, RSN next generation surface combatant.

Whitehead Alenia A244S torpedo.
Photo : Leonardo

Heavy Machine Guns

Four CIS 12.7mm ( 0.5inch ) heavy machine guns are mounted along the bridge wing to guard against small crafts, swimmers and anything that is close enough but not worth expanding a shell or missile on. 

CIS 12.7mm HMG on the bridge wing of RSS Valiant.
Photo : RSN

Complement

The MCV's complement of 46 includes 7 to 8 officers - commanding officer, executive officer, operations officer, navigation officer, communications officer, weapon electronics officer, marine engineer officer and occasionally an auxiliary officer. The medical officer is not part of the ship's peacetime complement. 

Since 2015 the RSN has began the deployment of reservist naval officers and ratings to fill every post on some of the MCVs. At least two teams had been created and both had achieved operational readiness status. They are held to the same high standards expected of their regular counterparts.

The bridge of RSS Valour during an encounter exercise with
 the Australian Navy, Ex Singaroo 2020. Photo : RSN

The multi-function ward room where visitors can be received
and officers can have their meals and discussions. Photo : RSN 

Longest Serving Ship Class In The RSN

Commissioned 30 years ago, the MCVs currently reign as the longest serving class of ships in the RSN. They are not the oldest vessels still in active service though. That honour probably goes to the Challenger-class submarines which were originally commissioned by the Swedish Navy in 1968 and 1969. 

The Fastest Ship In The RSN

Powered by 4 MTU 16V 538 TB93 Diesels the MCV has a top speed " in excess of 30 knots " in the usually vague and non-committal MINDEF speak. It currently holds the crown for the fastest class of ship within the RSN. Only the Sea Wolf-class missile gunboat was faster but they have all been decommissioned in 2008. 

When the corvette is at speed these German diesels produce a high pitch whine that is almost soothing to the ears, like a lullaby, so long as you are not in the engine room. The capability of performing high speed dashes is central to the " sprint and drift " tactic used in ASW operations but is probably most appreciated by all onboard during the return leg of an extended sea deployment. Frequently the MCV will be the first vessel type to reach home waters after the conclusion of a large scale naval exercise that involves multiple ship classes, like Exercise Starfish under the Five Power Defense Arrangement.

The cramped engine room with MTU diesels. Photo : Mindef

Best Ship Award

In the past 30 years since their commissioning, the MCVs clinched a total of 16 awards in the annual Singapore Armed Forces Best Unit Competition. RSS Vigour, the winner of this year's Best Fleet Unit Award, accounted for a quarter of these with a total of four awards so far.

RSS Vigour proudly wears the Battle Effectiveness big E logo.
Photo : Mindef

Ship Life Extension Program

The SLEP extends the operational lifespan of the corvettes and through the introduction of advanced surveillance, communications, as well as command and control systems, also allows them to be incorporated into the Integrated Knowledge-based Command and Control ( IKC2 ) capabilities of the third generation Singapore Armed Forces. First made public in 2009, the MCV SLEP was completed by September 2013 with RSS Valour being the final ship that was upgraded. 

Though the corvettes lost their anti-submarine role with the removal of the torpedo launchers and the variable depth sonar, they gained a new capability in the form of the ScanEagle UAV. The search radar was upgraded from the Sea Giraffe 150HC to the Sea Giraffe AMB. These changes enhanced the corvette's surveillance capabilities and allowed them to " see further ".

The combat management system ( CMS ) was also revamped with a customised solution that helps the Combat Information Centre ( CIC ) team to make faster and more effective decisions. Indigenously developed by the Defense Science Technology Agency ( DSTA ) and DSO National Laboratories, the CMS has a decision support engine for data fusion, identification and threat evaluation to allow the ship crew to quickly and accurately grasp the tactical situation around the corvette. The upgraded CMS utilizes ethernet LAN instead of serial links of the legacy CMS and this broader bandwidth allows it to handle significantly more tracks and transfer data at higher speeds. It enhances the depth and the timeliness of the information presented to the ship's command team. The capabilities of this enhanced MCV CMS is said to be on par with those installed on RSN's Formidable-class stealth frigates, not at all surprising since the CMS of both ship classes are designed by the same people!

RSS Vengeance high and dry at Changi Naval Base during IMDEX 2019. 
Seldom does one get to see the keel. Photo : MDC

RSS Vengeance, RSS Victory and the stern of RSS Stalwart
during IMDEX 2019. Photo : MDC

Changi Naval Base day before IMDEX 2019
The crooked ships and wharf are artifacts

An enlarged image of the above.

The Last Leg

If anything this article should have illustrated how much thought and detailed planning had gone into the missile corvette project from the initial conceptualization to acquisition, construction and henceforth just so that these tiny warships can achieve their greatest efficiency and always remain relevant to the Singapore Navy. 

However, after 30 years of service with the RSN, the MCVs are beginning to face obsolescence even with the SLEP. Parts and components become harder to procure as time progresses and the cost of maintenance increases exponentially as the ship ages. There is also only so much that a non-stealthy old hull can be upgraded given physical and electrical limitations. Originally planned to be phased out in 2025, the COVID-19 pandemic probably brought the MCVs some reprieve as their retirement has now been postponed to 2030. This new deadline will probably represent the final extension of service as the SLEP upgrades were projected to last for a maximum of 20 years, at most. The corvettes will eventually be replaced by the multi-role combat vessel ( MRCV ), a yet-to-be-revealed design featuring stealth technology and the capability to be a mothership of sorts to airborne, surface and sub-surface unmanned platforms. Until then, the MCVs will continue to protect the vital SLOC which connects Singapore to the rest of the globe. Bravo Zulu to all from the 188 Squadron, past and present, for a job well done!