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Originally Posted by Dan D
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That article says the 212A is "fully combat-operational" at depths of only 20 m, even 14 m - and manouvering with full speed.
At the tower, these boats are 11.5 meters high. Gives you 3.5 meters margin. Max speed when submerged is (officially) 20 kn.
the article reminds of the Argentinian "San Lousis", a german type 209, which fired a volley of eight torpedoes at HMS Invincible and escorts during the Falkland war. Not one torpedoe hit - it illustrates that if crew training is poor, technology not always compensates for that: the technicians had linked the wires for torpeoe control in a wrong way, thus after being shot the eels could not be controlled anymore. Luck for the British - the sinking of the Invincible would have meant (according to the British admiral, Sandy Woodward) the defeat of the British and their immediate retreat.
What alarms me is that the article finally say that Pakistan wants to get those 212s. Didn't knew that. I hope nobody in Berlin acts foolishly. You don't sell your primary weapons to your most serious enemies.