The Republic of Singapore Navy’s (RSN’s) second Archer-class submarine, RSS Swordsman, was declared fully operational in a commissioning ceremony at Changi Naval Base on 30 Apr.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, who officiated the ceremony, presented the commissioning warrant to the Commanding Officer of RSS Swordsman, Lieutenant Colonel (LTC) Loh Mun Heng.
With RSS Swordsman joining her sister ship RSS Archer – commissioned in December 2011 – in active service, Mr Tharman pointed out that the RSN had crossed a new milestone in its submarine development and was now capable of conducting more complex maritime operations.
“RSS Swordsman, her sister boat RSS Archer and our Challenger-class submarines form part of an integrated warfighting system – together with our stealth frigates, naval helicopters, missile corvettes and mine-countermeasure vessels – a force that safeguards Singapore’s maritime interests and protects our territorial integrity.”
Acquired from the Royal Swedish Navy in 2005 and launched in Sweden in 2010, RSS Swordsman went through extensive sea trials in Sweden before she returned to Singapore on 31 Dec 2012.
The submarine, which will operate under the RSN’s 171 Squadron with RSS Archer, has been refurbished for operations in local conditions. The ship also boasts upgraded combat and sensor suites and the addition of an Air Independent Propulsion system for greater stealth, extended reach and expanded operational capabilities.
LTC Loh elaborated on how his crew prepared the submarine to be combat-ready in just four months: “Upon our return to Singapore, we validated our submarine to operate safely in our local conditions, ran (through) all our systems and participated in exercises with the frigate and naval helicopter, integrating as part of the fleet.” The exercises included combined anti-submarine warfare, submarine rescue and torpedo exercises.
According to LTC Loh, the RSS Swordsman crew also benefited from the experiences of the crew of the RSS Archer. He explained: “Besides the crew from (RSS) Archer passing down lessons learnt to us, half of my crew are also from the Challenger-class submarines, and when we brought over our experiences, we were able to quicken our learning process.”
For the crew, the commissioning of their submarine signalled the beginning of their journey as operators of a warship. As LTC Loh put it: “Operationalisation doesn’t have an end-state…we will continue to hone our skills.”
Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen, Minister for Transport Lui Tuck Yew, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Defence Dr Mohamed Maliki Bin Osman, Chief of Defence Force Major-General Ng Chee Meng and Chief of Navy Rear-Admiral (RADM) Ng Chee Peng were also present at the ceremony, with other senior officers from the Singapore Armed Forces.
