Daphne

Description: Daphne is a diesel-electric attack submarine designed for the coastal environment. It was developed by France in the 1950s inspired by the WWII German U-Boat but incorporating post-war technology. They were equipped with 12 533mm torpedo tubes, eight forward and four aft. The French Navy ordered 11 submarines of this class with the first boat commissioned in 1960. Four French-built boats were ordered by Portugal. South Africa ordered three submarines and Pakistan another three equipped with UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles. Spain built four submarines in the 1970s.

Daphne submarines are deemed obsolete to modern standards. As of early 2006, the French and Spanish Navies have decommissioned their 15 submarines. Starting in 2009 Portugal will replace its two surviving Daphnes by German-built Type 209 submarines. Pakistan purchased one Daphne from Portugal in 1975. In 2005 South Africa started replacement by Type 209 boats. Originally, South African Navy commissioned S98 and S99 boats as Emily Hobhouse and Johanna Van Der Merwe.