OVERVIEW: The ROMEO class SS (Type 33) is a 2-shaft, diesel powered attack submarine.

DETAILS:   The ROMEO class was a further development of the ZULU and WHISKEY-class. The Romeo class was designed to conduct anti-surface ship operations using torpedoes and to execute mine-laying assignments off hostile ports. It has virtually no anti-submarine capability, due to high noise levels and inadequate sensor fit. 


Specifications:
       Displacement: 1,319 tons surfaced; 1,712 tons submerged.
       Speed: 15 knots surfaced, 13 knots submerged
       Machinery: 2 2400 bhp diesels
       Endurance: 60 days; 9,000 nm surfaced @ 9 knts
       Operational Depth: 270-300 m
       Maximum Depth:     300m	(crush depth)			 
       Complement: 51 
            

NOTES: IOC: 1967.  The Type 33 Romeo is a Chinese-built copy of the Soviet  ROMEO class SS (Project 633) submarine. A total of 84 hulls built.  Complete domestic production of the Chinese ROMEO Type 033 was achieved in 1967.  Begining in September 1969, Type 033 were built with upgraded air conditioning and refrigeration units to meet the operational demands of operating in the warmer Pacific.  
 
 
SOURCES:  Moore, John Evelyn. Jane's Fighting Ships 1987-88.  London: Jane's Pub, 1987, pg. 494; "Romeo Class." Forecast International - Home. Last modified November 1997. https://www.forecastinternational.com/archive/disp_old_pdf.cfm?ARC_ID=1791; Prezelin, Bernard (ed) Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 1990-91,  Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 1990, pg. 82; "пр.633 ROMEO." MilitaryRussia.Ru Accessed January 5, 2020. http://militaryrussia.ru/blog/topic-207.html; ikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. "Romeo-class Submarine - Wikipedia." n.d. Accessed September 9, 2017. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo-class_submarine.