Navantia press release
The start-up was successfully carried out on November 12, at the Cartagena shipyard’s Armament Dock. On the same day, the start-up of the diesel engines of the S-71 “Galerna”, which is undergoing port trials as part of the work to extend its life cycle, was also successfully completed.
The S-80 programme follows a regulated Systems Engineering process, whereby it is necessary to pass a series of technical reviews or quality gates in which it must be demonstrated that the submarine is ready to move on to the next phase. Diesel engine start-up is the fourth safety milestone, after power-up, battery shipment to the vessel and launch.
The S-80 class submarines have diesel engines with diesel alternator rectifiers (DARs) that allow their batteries to be charged or that can directly supply power to the main electric motor. The diesels are manufactured by the Navantia Cartagena engine factory, under MTU licence.
In the coming months, the S-81 will undergo the first battery charges with the DARs and the mooring test, the first time that the operation of the submarine’s propulsion line is really tested, prior to the start of the sea trials.
The S-71 is making progress in extending its life cycle.
In parallel to the construction of the S-80 series, the Navantia shipyard in Cartagena is carrying out the extension of the life cycle of the S-71, ‘Galerna’, which has undergone the start of the official start-up and operation tests of the diesel engines in the presence of the Spanish Navy inspectors, once all the necessary verifications and checks of both the auxiliary services of these engines and their safety features have been carried out.
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