The Republic of Singapore’s (RSN’s) RSS Swordsman, its second Archer-class submarine, was launched by Mrs Ivy Ng, the wife of Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, at the Kockums Shipyard in Karlskrona, Sweden, on 20 Oct.
In Dr Ng’s opening address at the launch ceremony, he highlighted that the launch of RSS Swordsman underlines the RSN’s drive to develop its submarine capability.
“The RSN’s submarines are part of an integrated warfighting system which includes our stealth frigates, naval helicopters, missile corvettes and mine countermeasure vessels,” he said. “Together with the Challenger-class submarines, RSS Archer and RSS Swordsman will enable the RSN to better fulfill its mission of protecting Singapore’s sea lines of communication and territorial integrity.”
The submarine was acquired from the Royal Swedish Navy (RSwN) and follows the first Archer-class submarine RSS Archer’s launch in June 2009. Together with the Challenger-class submarines, this addition to the fleet adds on to the RSN’s capability to protect Singapore’s sea lines of communication and territorial integrity.
Similar to its sister vessel, the RSS Swordsman has been extended with a modern suite of combat and sensor systems which allows it to detect and engage targets from greater distances.
Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Loh Mun Heng, Commanding Officer of RSS Swordsman, said: “Like RSS Archer, RSS Swordsman brings with it technology that improves and challenges the air-surface warfare capabilities, improving the RSN’s fleet and providing better options in the field.”
Military Expert (ME) 3 Tay Chay Yong, Combat Operations Expert and coxswain for RSS Swordsman compared the submarine to a space shuttle: “A submarine sails independently, just like a space shuttle out in space. Anything that happens on board will have to be solved by the crew. Therefore, it underlines the complexity and importance of the training involved where everyone needs to be well-versed in the engineering and combat systems of the submarine.”
The launch of RSS Swordsman also emphasises the ongoing defence partnership and close friendship between Singapore and Sweden. ME1 Nagarajan s/o Muthusamy, Underwater Weapons Operator, attributed it to his Swedish counterparts going the extra mile over the course of two years of training, resulting in a positive bond forged between the Singaporean and Swedish Navy.
“The Swedes bring our working relations past office hours, if I need help with anything, I can call them at any time. They are also very patient, always willing to teach us again and again without getting irritated. Even away from work, we spend time together enjoying leisure activities such as fishing or floorball,” he said.
As a result of this close bond, one which has been reaffirmed and built upon over the last 40 years, Singapore’s defence relationship with Sweden has matured to encompass wide-ranging interactions and collaborative projects such as the assistance provided by the RSwN to build the RSN’s mine-countermeasure force and submarine capability.
“Sweden and Singapore are both nations which believe in building a defence force for deterrence… Therefore, what brings us together is this common ideology about defence,” explained LTC Loh.
With the launch of the RSS Swordsman, the submarine crew has come away not only prepared for the challenges ahead, but also with a healthy respect for, as well as a strong rapport with, their Swedish counterparts.
Said ME3 Tay: “Working with our Swedish counterparts, who are open, innovative and not afraid to try new things, has helped our relatively young crew to experience and learn more.”
