Dolphin Class Submarine - Boats

Boats

• Dolphin – delivered May 1998 – commissioned 1999
• Leviathan (trans. "Leviathan" or "whale") – delivered 1999 – commissioned 2000
• Tekumah (trans. "Revival") – delivered 2000 – commissioned 2000
• Tannin (trans. "Tannin" or "Crocodile") – delivered May 3rd 2012
• Rahav (trans. "Rahab") – delivery expected in 2013
• Name not assigned yet. Ordered 21 March 2012.

The first two (Dolphin and Leviathan) were fully donated by Germany and the third (Tekumah) was paid for halfway by Israel. During the first Gulf War, German firms were accused of helping Iraq with its chemical weapons program, which led to protests in both Germany and Israel. To calm Israeli concerns, compensate Israel for economic losses and keep German shipyards occupied, then Chancellor of Germany Helmut Kohl approved an assistance package including the construction of two Dolphin submarines.

The names Dolphin and Leviathan hail from the retired Israeli WW-II era submarines of the British T class; the third boat Tekuma (translation: Revival) refers in memory of Dakar, the third Israeli boat of the T class which was lost with all Israeli crew in the Mediterranean Sea during delivery. The forthcoming boats Tannin and Rahav are names taken from retired Gal-class submarines, which were themselves named after even older Israeli S class boats.