The Israeli Navy’s sixth submarine was named INS Drakon – Hebrew for “Dragon” – on Tuesday in an official ceremony in Germany.
The Dolphin 2-class submarine is still undergoing testing at Germany’s Kiel shipyard, and will not join the Israeli fleet until next year.
According to the Israeli Navy, the name was chosen because it shares three Hebrew letters with the name of the INS Dakar, a submarine which sank in 1968.
“INS Drakon will serve as a cornerstone in ensuring the security of the State of Israel,” Israeli Navy Commander Vice Admiral David Saar Salama said at the naming ceremony. “Seen and unseen, it will dwell in distant and hidden realms for extended periods.”
Ze’ev Landau, the deputy director of Israel’s Defense Ministry, said at the ceremony: “Today we are marking not only the launch of the submarine but also the close security ties between Israel and Germany, a relationship founded on shared values and a mutual aspiration for a safer future.”
Together, he continued, “We have created a vessel that will strengthen the Israeli Navy and bring powerful and essential capabilities for the defense of the State of Israel.”
Israeli Ambassador to Germany Ron Prosor said that the current geo-strategic situation “requires moral clarity” and “a long-term strategy.”
“The launch of the submarine is another cornerstone in the strategic relationship between Israel and Germany, which face similar challenges and share common opportunities,” he added.
