S-74 "Tramontana"

The commanding officer of submarine ‘Tramontana’ (S-74) and all her crew welcome you to this website. We intend to give you an overview of the ship’s features, history, tasks and missions and hope you find this site interesting.

Displacement:

• Surface: 1510 tons
• Underwater: 1760 tons

Length: 68 m

Beam: 6,8 m

Draught: 5,4 m

Engines:

• 2 Diesel (3600 HP)
• 1 Electric (3500 HP)
• 1 propeller

Range: 9000 nm at 9 knots (underwater) or 45 days

Speed:

• Max. 12 knots (surface)
• Max. 20,5 knots (underwater)

Weapons: 4 torpedo tubes (16 torpedoes)

Depth: 300 meters

Submarines are units of great offensive capabilities while covertly operating during prolonged periods of time.

Main missions:

• Protection of a naval force.
• Reconnaissance, early warning and intelligence gathering.
• Infiltration of special operation commandos.
• Neutralization of surface or underwater threats.
• Defense of specific maritime areas.
• Training platform.
• Offensive mining. Sea denial to enemy forces.

The ‘Tramontana’, like all other Spanish Navy submarines, are stationed in the Submarine Base of Cartagena (Murcia).

The main offensive assets of the submarine are the 4 torpedo launching tubes of 533 mm. They can launch torpedoes and mines. In addition, the ‘Galerna’ has portable weapons and machine guns for self-defense when in surface or moored in a harbor.

Torpedoes:

• Wire-guided torpedoes F-17 Mod. 1 and 2 (against surface ships and submarines)
• Anti-submarine torpedoes L-5 Mod.4

The S-74 boasts also a wide array of active and passive sensors like sonars, communication antennae, radars and periscopes.

The ‘Tramontana’ (S-74) is the fourth and last unit of the ‘Galerna’-class submarines built by Bazán in Cartagena. She was delivered to the Spanish Navy on December 30th 1985, the first CO being lieutenant-commander Germán Medina Sánchez.

The current crew of submarine ‘Tramontana’ is:

• Officers: 10
• NCOs: 30
• Ratings: 48

Since her first deployment, the ‘Tramontana’ works and trains, day in, day out, to carry out the missions entrusted. The submarine has participated in many national and international exercises and operations. Worth mentioning is the firing of a combat torpedo in 2004 which sank a surface ship during a naval exercise.

In NATO missions, the ‘Tramontana’ was deployed on 10 occasions to take part in operations ‘Active Endeavour’ and ‘Sea Guardian’.

The S-74 also took part in the operation that helped solve the ‘Perejil’ crisis in the year 2002.

In 2011 the ‘Tramontana’ participated in the UN-led operation ‘Unified Protector’ during the Libyan conflict.

Among the most noteworthy international deployments are ‘Proud Manta’ (an anti-submarine warfare exercise) and ‘Dynamic Monarch’ (submarine SAR exercise).