submarine-launched ballistic missile between the submarine tender and the
ballistic missile submarine at
Holy Loch,
Dunoon,
Scotland, in 1961. Submarines are small compared to most oceangoing vessels, and generally cannot carry large amounts of food, fuel,
torpedoes, and other supplies, or a full array of maintenance equipment and personnel. The tender carries all these, and either meets submarines at sea to
replenish them or provides these services while docked at a port near the submarines' operations zone. In some navies, the tenders were equipped with
workshops for maintenance, and as floating dormitories with relief
crews. With the increased size and automation of modern submarines, plus in some navies the introduction of
nuclear power, tenders are no longer as necessary for fuel as they once were.
Canada Canada's first submarine depot ship was .
Chile The term used in the
Chilean Navy is "submarine mother ship", as for example the BMS (buque madre de submarinos)
Almirante Merino.
China China's
Type 926 submarine support ship is capable of replenishing submarines and rescuing those in distress.
France During the 1930s and
World War II, the
French Navy and later the
Free French Naval Forces operated the submarine tender .
Germany Unable to operate a significant number of conventional surface tenders during
World War II,
Germany's
Kriegsmarine used
Type XIV submarines (nicknamed
milk cows) for replenishment at sea.
Japan Prior to and during World War II, the
Imperial Japanese Navy operated submarine tenders. It also operated , a
seaplane tender designed and equipped to transport and support 12
midget submarines in addition to
seaplanes, and a number of submarines designed to transport, launch, and recover midget submarines.
The Netherlands The
Royal Netherlands Navy has one submarine support vessel, , commissioned in 1987, as a replacement of , then known as HNLMS Mercuur (A 856). Commissioned in 1956, as an ocean going Aggressive-class minesweeper, built in the US, and later used as a submarine tender.
Russia The
Russian Navy decommissioned all its
Don and
Ugra-class tenders inherited from the
Soviet Navy by 2001. The last remaining ship of this class was , initially sold to the
Indian Navy in 1968 for use with their fleet of s. She was reportedly
decommissioned in July 2006.
United Kingdom In the
Royal Navy, the term used for a submarine tender is "submarine depot ship", for example and .
List of Royal Navy submarine depot ships United States In the
United States Navy, submarine tenders are considered
auxiliary ships, with the
hull classification symbol "AS". , the U.S. Navy maintains two submarine tenders, and . ==See also==