Former German navy subs head to Colombia

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KIEL, Germany, Sept. 14 (UPI) -- The Colombian navy has commissioned two more German-made diesel-electric submarines into its fleet.

BWB, the German procurement agency, said the submarines -- Type 206A ships formerly part of the German navy -- were commissioned in a ceremony last month at the Naval Arsenal in Kiel.

HDW shipyard, the original builder of the submarines, had "tropicalized" the two vessels, which had been designed for sailing in waters colder than those around Latin America.

The "Intrepido" and "Indomable" are about 159 feet long and displace about 551 tons. They have a surface speed of 10 knots and a submerged speed of 17 knots.

The submarines became operational with the German navy in 1974 and 1975, respectively. They will be home ported at Cartagena de Indias and join two other Colombian navy submarines built for the country by HDW.