Samenvatting

The current Dutch Walrus-class submarines count over a hundred hydraulic actuators, including the rudders, the periscope and the integrated torpedo and harpoon system. Al these devices are controlled with petroleum based, and therefore flammable, hydraulic oil. Replacing these hydraulic actuators on board of the Royal Netherlands Navy's submarines has never been a serious option for the past decades. However, due to the enormous developments in the world of power electronics, there are reasons to believe that the electrification of hydraulic actuators is a serious option for near-future submarine designs.