The Project 633 class (known in the West by its NATO reporting name as the Romeo class) is a class of Soviet diesel-electric submarine, built between 1957 and 1961. A Chinese variant, Type 033, was built in China from 1962 to 1984.
Only 20 of the Soviet Union's originally intended 56 were completed between October 1957 and the end of December 1961[1] because of the introduction of the nuclear submarine into the Soviet Navy.
By today's standards Romeo class submarines are considered obsolete, but they still have some value as training and surveillance vessels.
Chinese Type 033 Romeo class and its variantsedit
A Chinese Type 033 submarine
Under the 1950 Sino-Soviet Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty, the Soviets passed to China (and later to North Korea) the documentation necessary to produce Romeo submarines in 1963.[1] The Chinese variant is known as the Type 033 Romeo. A total of 84 Type 033 submarines were built in China from 1962 to 1984, plus several exported to other countries.[2]
The Chinese Type 033 incorporated some improvements over the original Romeo, Sonar on board was also continuously upgraded: the original Soviet sonar was first replaced by domestic Chinese Type 105 sonar, which consequently was replaced by H/SQ2-262A sonar built by No. 613 Factory. Today most of the Type 033 subs have been retired or preserved, with a few remaining in service for training purposes.[2] A total of six Chinese Romeo-class submarine variants were developed:
Type 6633: Original Chinese built Romeo, China was to have assembled these Romeos from knock-down kits provided by the Soviet Union, six were planned, but only two were completed. The construction program stopped when the USSR stopped delivery of parts following the Sino-Soviet split. Construction of the third unit at Wuhan was stopped, and available parts were diverted to complete the first pair, but many parts had to be developed indigenously. The primary improvement of Type 6633 over the original Soviet boats is the use of domestic Chinese batteries, which had slightly superior performance to that of the original Soviet batteries.[3]
Type 033: Complete domestic production in China was achieved in 1967, and subsequently the project was renamed the Type 033. However, experience from deployment of completed boats in warmer climates proved that the original Soviet refrigeration and air conditioning system designed for subarctic and arctic area was woefully inadequate for subtropical and tropical regions, so redesigns were needed to improve refrigeration and air conditioning systems, and all boats to be stationed in tropical and subtropical regions went through such a refit. In September 1969 construction of new Type 033s, with improved air conditioning and refrigeration capability, began at Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou, eventually, 13 units were completed.[3]
ES5A: Upgraded Type 033, with improvements mainly involving the replacement of equipment of Soviet origin with domestic Chinese systems, which includes: QZHA―10 (Type 779) attack periscope and QDYA―10 (Type 778) general purpose periscope. Addition of H/SQG-2 ranging sonar, Type 063 communication systems, and countermeasure systems. Domestic Chinese Type 801 sonar replaced the original Soviet MARS-24 sonar. The only difference between the Type 801 sonar and the MARS-24 sonar is that there are 24 transducer elements for the Type 801 as opposed to 12 in the original MARS 24, so the Chinese sonar had better accuracy. Domestic Chinese H/SQZ-D reconnaissance sonar (with Type 105 transducers) replaced the original Soviet system, the performance of the SQZ-D is almost identical to the original Soviet sonar it was developed from, except for the sector of scan, which is increased by 15 degrees. Additional noise reduction measures were also adopted. This is the type China originally sold to Egypt in the 1980s.[3]
Type 033G: Development of the ES5A, with the incorporation of the capability to launch acoustic homingtorpedoes; analog computers installed to achieve automation of, and speeding up of, torpedo fire control calculations that were previously manually calculated. All Chinese Romeos were converted to this standard. The NATO reporting name for this type is rumored to be the Wuhan class.[3]
Type 033G1: A single Type 033G was modified to carry 6 YJ-1 (CSS-N-4) anti-ship missiles, this variant is called Type 033G1, with the rumored NATO reporting name of Wuhan A. The missile had to be fired while the boat was surfaced, with a total exposure time on the surface of less than 7 minutes. The most significant improvement, however, is the reduction of noise level by 12 dB.[4][5]
ES5B: Development of the Type 033G, primarily intended for export. This is an upgrade package for Romeo submarine users. The primary improvement of this class is the ability to launch wire guided torpedoes and anti-ship missiles (AShM) while submerged. The program originally began in the mid-1980s, and Egypt was reported to be the only customer when China won a contract to upgrade its Romeo-class submarine fleet, including both Soviet built and Chinese built units. This is the last type of Chinese Romeo class submarine; with noise reduction of 20 dB to 140 dB in comparison to the 160 dB of the original Soviet Project 633 submarines acquired by China.[3]
Operatorsedit
Currentedit
Currently four countries are using Romeo class submarines in an operational capacity:
North Korea operates 20 Romeo class submarines. Seven were directly imported from China between 1973 and 1975, and the remainder locally assembled with Chinese supplied parts between 1976 and 1995. One apparently sank in an accident in 1985.[6][7] Four Chinese imported units are based on the western coast.[8]
Egypt operates four of an original eight Romeo class submarines that are upgraded variants of the Chinese design.
Currently using Romeo class submarines in non-operational capacities (i.e. training):
Russia and the Soviet Union had 20 Romeo class vessels in service. These vessels are no longer used as combat vessels in the Russian Navy, although one or two remain in service as immobile training facilities.
China has operated an estimated 84 of the Type-33 submarine (Romeo) during the Cold War. Most have been scrapped, but 13 are still in use for training.
Formeredit
No longer using Romeo class submarines in any reported capacity:
Bulgaria operated four Romeo class submarines (S-81 Pobeda, S-41 Viktoriya, S-83 Nadezhda, S-84 Slava). Decommissioning began in the 1990s and ended in 2011: Pobeda in 1990, Viktoriya in 1992, Nadezhda in 2008, Slava in 2011. All but Slava was scrapped.
Syria received three Romeo class submarines built in 1961 from the Soviet Navy: S-1, S-53, S-101. All were decommissioned in the mid 1990s and sold for scrap in 1996.[9]
Algeria had two Romeo class ex-Soviet Navy submarines: S-10 and S-11. Delivered in 1982 and in 1983, they were decommissioned in 1989 and scrapped.
Changcheng Lüshunkou, in Lushun Submarine Museum, Liaoning[14]
S-49, in Pivdenna Bay, Sevastopol[15] In August 2021, the "floating battery recharging station PZS-50 [formerly the submarine S-49) of project 633RV [was] being towed to a dry dock in Sevastopol for its repair" and to be turned into a museum. S-49 was decommissioned on 10 July 1995.[16]
The Hero Kim Kun Ok, aka Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine No. 841, a modified Romeo-Class owned by the North Korean navy, which underwent modification in 2019, before being launched and unveiled in a ceremony on 6 September 2023.[18]
^ abCoatepeque (2012-05-07). "China Defense Blog: Great Wall 349 (Type 033) Romeo class SS decommissioned". China Defense Blog. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
^"Lushun Submarine Museum travel guidebook –must visit attractions in Lvshunkou District – Lushun Submarine Museum nearby recommendation". TRIP.COM. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
^Inc, Depositphotos. "A Russian submarine S-49 in Sevastopol". Depositphotos. Retrieved 2021-04-21. {{cite web}}: |last= has generic name (help)
^@Capt_Navy (August 23, 2021). "The floating battery recharging station PZS-50 (former S-49 submarine) of project 633RV is being towed to a dry doc…" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
^"Last Bulgarian submarine now open to the public as a museum". bnr.bg. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
^Smith, Josh; Choi, Soo-Hyang (2023-09-08). "North Korea unveils first tactical, nuclear-armed submarine". Reuters. Retrieved 2023-09-08.
The Encyclopedia Of Warships, From World War 2 To The Present Day, General Editor Robert Jackson.
External linksedit
Media related to Romeo class submarines at Wikimedia Commons
Figures about the Romeo class
Globalsecurity.org (Type 033 Romeo)
Globalsecurity.org (Type 033G Wuhan)
Globalsecurity.org (Type 035 Ming)
www.freewebs.com
January 01, 1970
romeo, class, submarine, project, class, known, west, nato, reporting, name, romeo, class, class, soviet, diesel, electric, submarine, built, between, 1957, 1961, chinese, variant, type, built, china, from, 1962, 1984, class, overview, builderskrasnoye, sormov. The Project 633 class known in the West by its NATO reporting name as the Romeo class is a class of Soviet diesel electric submarine built between 1957 and 1961 A Chinese variant Type 033 was built in China from 1962 to 1984 Romeo class submarineClass overview BuildersKrasnoye Sormovo Shipyard Gorky Wuchang Shipyard Wuhan Guangzhou Shipyard Canton Jiangnan Shipyard Shanghai Bohai Shipyard Huludao Mayang do Naval Shipyard North Korea Assembly site of North Korean kits from China Operators Soviet Navy Historical People s Liberation Army Navy Korean People s Navy Bulgarian Navy Historical Syrian Arab Navy Historical Egyptian Navy Algerian National Navy historical Preceded byWhiskey class submarine Succeeded byFoxtrot class submarine Type 035 submarine Completed133 Retired75 Preserved2 General characteristics Displacement1 475 tons surfaced 1 830 tons submerged Length76 6 m 251 ft 3 in Beam6 7 m 22 ft Draught5 2 m 17 ft 1 in PropulsionTwo diesels delivering 2 94 MW 4000 shp with two electric motors driving two shafts Speed15 2 knots 28 2 km h surfaced 13 knots 24 km h submerged Range14 484km 9 000 miles at 9 knots 17 km h Complement54 men 10 officers Sensors and processing systemssonar and radar Electronic warfare amp decoysMRP 11 14 Armament8 533 mm 21 in torpedo tubes Six located in the bow and two in the stern 14 533 mm 21 in anti ship or anti submarine torpedoes including Yu 4 and Yu 1 torpedoes or 28 mines A Soviet Romeo class submarine 1986 Contents 1 Project 633 2 Chinese Type 033 Romeo class and its variants 3 Operators 3 1 Current 3 2 Former 4 Surviving boats 5 See also 6 References 7 External linksProject 633 editProject 633 was a further development of the Soviet navy s post war 611 Zulu and 613 Whiskey class designs which themselves were derivatives of the German Kriegsmarine Type XXI submarine The project was undertaken by Lazurit Central Design Bureau of Gorky Only 20 of the Soviet Union s originally intended 56 were completed between October 1957 and the end of December 1961 1 because of the introduction of the nuclear submarine into the Soviet Navy By today s standards Romeo class submarines are considered obsolete but they still have some value as training and surveillance vessels Chinese Type 033 Romeo class and its variants edit nbsp A Chinese Type 033 submarine Under the 1950 Sino Soviet Friendship and Mutual Assistance Treaty the Soviets passed to China and later to North Korea the documentation necessary to produce Romeo submarines in 1963 1 The Chinese variant is known as the Type 033 Romeo A total of 84 Type 033 submarines were built in China from 1962 to 1984 plus several exported to other countries 2 The Chinese Type 033 incorporated some improvements over the original Romeo Sonar on board was also continuously upgraded the original Soviet sonar was first replaced by domestic Chinese Type 105 sonar which consequently was replaced by H SQ2 262A sonar built by No 613 Factory Today most of the Type 033 subs have been retired or preserved with a few remaining in service for training purposes 2 A total of six Chinese Romeo class submarine variants were developed Type 6633 Original Chinese built Romeo China was to have assembled these Romeos from knock down kits provided by the Soviet Union six were planned but only two were completed The construction program stopped when the USSR stopped delivery of parts following the Sino Soviet split Construction of the third unit at Wuhan was stopped and available parts were diverted to complete the first pair but many parts had to be developed indigenously The primary improvement of Type 6633 over the original Soviet boats is the use of domestic Chinese batteries which had slightly superior performance to that of the original Soviet batteries 3 Type 033 Complete domestic production in China was achieved in 1967 and subsequently the project was renamed the Type 033 However experience from deployment of completed boats in warmer climates proved that the original Soviet refrigeration and air conditioning system designed for subarctic and arctic area was woefully inadequate for subtropical and tropical regions so redesigns were needed to improve refrigeration and air conditioning systems and all boats to be stationed in tropical and subtropical regions went through such a refit In September 1969 construction of new Type 033s with improved air conditioning and refrigeration capability began at Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou eventually 13 units were completed 3 ES5A Upgraded Type 033 with improvements mainly involving the replacement of equipment of Soviet origin with domestic Chinese systems which includes QZHA 10 Type 779 attack periscope and QDYA 10 Type 778 general purpose periscope Addition of H SQG 2 ranging sonar Type 063 communication systems and countermeasure systems Domestic Chinese Type 801 sonar replaced the original Soviet MARS 24 sonar The only difference between the Type 801 sonar and the MARS 24 sonar is that there are 24 transducer elements for the Type 801 as opposed to 12 in the original MARS 24 so the Chinese sonar had better accuracy Domestic Chinese H SQZ D reconnaissance sonar with Type 105 transducers replaced the original Soviet system the performance of the SQZ D is almost identical to the original Soviet sonar it was developed from except for the sector of scan which is increased by 15 degrees Additional noise reduction measures were also adopted This is the type China originally sold to Egypt in the 1980s 3 Type 033G Development of the ES5A with the incorporation of the capability to launch acoustic homing torpedoes analog computers installed to achieve automation of and speeding up of torpedo fire control calculations that were previously manually calculated All Chinese Romeos were converted to this standard The NATO reporting name for this type is rumored to be the Wuhan class 3 Type 033G1 A single Type 033G was modified to carry 6 YJ 1 CSS N 4 anti ship missiles this variant is called Type 033G1 with the rumored NATO reporting name of Wuhan A The missile had to be fired while the boat was surfaced with a total exposure time on the surface of less than 7 minutes The most significant improvement however is the reduction of noise level by 12 dB 4 5 ES5B Development of the Type 033G primarily intended for export This is an upgrade package for Romeo submarine users The primary improvement of this class is the ability to launch wire guided torpedoes and anti ship missiles AShM while submerged The program originally began in the mid 1980s and Egypt was reported to be the only customer when China won a contract to upgrade its Romeo class submarine fleet including both Soviet built and Chinese built units This is the last type of Chinese Romeo class submarine with noise reduction of 20 dB to 140 dB in comparison to the 160 dB of the original Soviet Project 633 submarines acquired by China 3 Operators editCurrent edit Currently four countries are using Romeo class submarines in an operational capacity North Korea operates 20 Romeo class submarines Seven were directly imported from China between 1973 and 1975 and the remainder locally assembled with Chinese supplied parts between 1976 and 1995 One apparently sank in an accident in 1985 6 7 Four Chinese imported units are based on the western coast 8 Egypt operates four of an original eight Romeo class submarines that are upgraded variants of the Chinese design Currently using Romeo class submarines in non operational capacities i e training Russia and the Soviet Union had 20 Romeo class vessels in service These vessels are no longer used as combat vessels in the Russian Navy although one or two remain in service as immobile training facilities China has operated an estimated 84 of the Type 33 submarine Romeo during the Cold War Most have been scrapped but 13 are still in use for training Former edit No longer using Romeo class submarines in any reported capacity Bulgaria operated four Romeo class submarines S 81 Pobeda S 41 Viktoriya S 83 Nadezhda S 84 Slava Decommissioning began in the 1990s and ended in 2011 Pobeda in 1990 Viktoriya in 1992 Nadezhda in 2008 Slava in 2011 All but Slava was scrapped Syria received three Romeo class submarines built in 1961 from the Soviet Navy S 1 S 53 S 101 All were decommissioned in the mid 1990s and sold for scrap in 1996 9 Algeria had two Romeo class ex Soviet Navy submarines S 10 and S 11 Delivered in 1982 and in 1983 they were decommissioned in 1989 and scrapped Surviving boats editChangcheng 237 in Qingdao Naval Museum Qingdao 10 Changcheng 274 in Taizhou Naval Museum Taizhou 11 Changcheng 279 in Liugong Island Shandong 12 Changcheng 280 in Shanghai Oriental Land Shanghai Changcheng 303 in Wuhan Science and Technology Museum Wuhan 13 Changcheng 349 in 349 Submarine Sightseeing Base Jiaojiang 13 Changcheng Lushunkou in Lushun Submarine Museum Liaoning 14 S 49 in Pivdenna Bay Sevastopol 15 In August 2021 the floating battery recharging station PZS 50 formerly the submarine S 49 of project 633RV was being towed to a dry dock in Sevastopol for its repair and to be turned into a museum S 49 was decommissioned on 10 July 1995 16 Slava 84 in Museum of Glass Beloslav 17 The Hero Kim Kun Ok aka Tactical Nuclear Attack Submarine No 841 a modified Romeo Class owned by the North Korean navy which underwent modification in 2019 before being launched and unveiled in a ceremony on 6 September 2023 18 See also editType 035 submarine List of submarine classes in serviceReferences edit a b Korabli VMF SSSR Vol 1 Part 2 Yu Apalkov Sankt Peterburg 2003 ISBN 5 8172 0072 4 a b 1 Archived June 19 2006 at the Wayback Machine a b c d e Chinese derivatives of Romeo submarine Archived from the original on 2013 06 28 Retrieved 2011 09 13 2 Archived July 9 2006 at the Wayback Machine John Pike Wuhan class submarine People s Liberation Army Navy Globalsecurity org Retrieved 2011 12 28 Blair Davod Kim Jong Un Mans A Soviet Submarine That s Been Obsolete Since 1961 PHOTOS Business Insider Retrieved 2022 01 13 Hyun Shin Joo 2010 06 01 North Korean Submarine Helmsman Breaks 14 Year Silence Daily NK Retrieved 2022 01 13 防衛省 自衛隊 防衛省ウェブサイトのＨｔｔｐｓへの切り替えのお知らせ PDF Archived from the original PDF on 2021 03 07 Retrieved 2021 07 02 Syrian Navy Corruption and Nepotism Panoramio Photo of 青岛海军博物馆 033型常规潜艇长城号 舷号237 2016 10 27 Archived from the original on 2016 10 27 Retrieved 2021 04 21 Coatepeque 2012 05 07 China Defense Blog Great Wall 349 Type 033 Romeo class SS decommissioned China Defense Blog Retrieved 2021 04 21 网易 2020 05 10 刘公岛 走进退役的海军279潜艇 揭开潜艇内部的神秘面纱 www 163 com Retrieved 2021 04 21 a b Coatepeque 2012 05 07 China Defense Blog Great Wall 349 Type 033 Romeo class SS decommissioned China Defense Blog Retrieved 2021 04 19 Lushun Submarine Museum travel guidebook must visit attractions in Lvshunkou District Lushun Submarine Museum nearby recommendation TRIP COM Retrieved 2021 04 21 Inc Depositphotos A Russian submarine S 49 in Sevastopol Depositphotos Retrieved 2021 04 21 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a last has generic name help Capt Navy August 23 2021 The floating battery recharging station PZS 50 former S 49 submarine of project 633RV is being towed to a dry doc Tweet via Twitter Last Bulgarian submarine now open to the public as a museum bnr bg Retrieved 2021 04 21 Smith Josh Choi Soo Hyang 2023 09 08 North Korea unveils first tactical nuclear armed submarine Reuters Retrieved 2023 09 08 The Encyclopedia Of Warships From World War 2 To The Present Day General Editor Robert Jackson External links edit nbsp Media related to Romeo class submarines at Wikimedia Commons Figures about the Romeo class Globalsecurity org Type 033 Romeo Globalsecurity org Type 033G Wuhan Globalsecurity org Type 035 Ming Sino Defense Today Type 033 Romeo Sino Defense Today Type 035 Ming www freewebs com Soviet Romeo class submarines Complete Ship List English Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Romeo class submarine amp oldid 1212868725, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
