Saab Kockums

Saab Kockums AB
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Shipbuilding, Defense
Founded	1840 (as forge and mechanical workshop)
Founder	Kockums family
Headquarters	Malmö, Sweden
Area served	Worldwide
Products	Military submarines, corvettes, commercial vessels
Owner	Saab AB
Parent	Saab AB

Saab Kockums AB is a shipyard based in Malmö, Sweden, operating as a subsidiary of the Swedish defense corporation Saab AB. The company also maintains operations at Muskö Naval Base, Docksta, and Karlskrona Naval Base. While Kockums has a background in constructing commercial vessels, it is primarily recognized for its production of military submarines and corvettes.

In collaboration with Northrop Grumman and Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft (HDW), Kockums proposed a variant of the Visby-class corvette during the United States' Focused Mission Vessel Study, which served as an early phase of the Littoral Combat Ship program. This design competed alongside other proposals, including Norway's Skjold class developed under a Raytheon-led consortium.

History

File:Malmö, Kockums horse shoe.jpg

The Gängtappen [sv] building (previously known as Kockumshuset) in Malmö served as Kockums' headquarters from 1958 until 2015. Since 2019, it has been occupied by Länsförsäkringar Skåne.

Origins in the 19th century

The Kockums family established their business presence in Malmö during the 1820s. Frans Henrik Kockum amassed significant wealth through tobacco manufacturing investments, which enabled him to acquire extensive land south of Malmö in 1838. Between 1840 and 1841, he constructed a forge and mechanical workshop focused initially on producing agricultural tools, stoves, portable engines, incubators, spittoons, and various cast metal products. Beginning in 1859, the enterprise expanded its output to include railway carriages. This workshop was located near what is today known as Davidshall. In 1866, the firm was incorporated as a public company under the name Kockums Mekaniska Werkstad.

Milestones in their railway carriage production include delivering their first carriage in 1859, introducing sleeper cars by 1877, manufacturing bogie carriages starting in 1885, and launching dining cars by 1896.

In 1849, Kockum partnered with two others to acquire Kallinge kvarn, near Ronneby, where they established a copper refinery. After buying out his partners in 1852, Kockum transitioned this operation into an ironworks by 1858. This business evolved throughout the following decades into what became known as Kockums Jernverks AB by 1875, rooted primarily in the regions of Blekinge and Småland.

File:KOCKUMS.pdf

Catalogue of vessels constructed by Kockums up to the year 1873.

Organizational transformation

Prior to the onset of the First World War, the enterprises owned by Kockum experienced a significant organizational shift. Kockums Mekaniska Verkstad AB redirected its primary efforts toward the manufacture of ships, railway carriages, and bridges. Meanwhile, Kockums Jernverk och Emaljerverk, operating chiefly in Kallinge and Ronneby, concentrated on producing steel and steel goods, including galvanizing and enameling services.

The shipbuilding and bridge fabrication sectors saw substantial growth during the post-war period. Between 1899 and 1913, the yard completed 16 new vessels, six of which served the Swedish Navy. These included the coastal battleships Tapperheten and Manligheten, the destroyers Wale, Munin, Vidar, Ragnar, as well as the steam ferry Malmö. Following this era, the shipyard maintained momentum by delivering coastal battleships such as Gustav V, destroyers including Ehrensköld and Klas Horn, the icebreaker Ymer, approximately 25 submarines, and multiple motor torpedo boats. Beginning in 1927, production of numerous tankers also commenced. Concurrently, manufacturing of bridges, cranes, sugar refinery equipment, and steam engines persisted.

By the 1950s, the Malmö shipyard had become one of the world’s most extensive facilities, focusing mainly on constructing large cargo ships. In 1952 and 1953, Kockum led international shipyards in total tonnage delivered. Alongside shipbuilding operations, a shipping line was also managed.

Following the acquisition of AB Landsverk in 1948, a diverse workshop industry emerged from the shipyard’s activities.

The submarine dispute

During the period from 1969 to 1985, the Swedish shipbuilding sector endured a severe crisis largely triggered by intense competition from East Asian shipyards, compounded by the 1973 oil crisis and subsequent economic downturn. As a result, Kockums was brought under state control through the government-owned entity Svenska Varv and later its successor Celsius AB [sv], spanning from 1979 to 1999. Due to its development of an advanced variant of the Stirling engine enabling low-noise submarine propulsion, Kockums was deemed strategically important to the Swedish Navy.

In the mid-1980s, Kockums established a joint venture named the Australian Submarine Corporation, partnering with Chicago Bridge & Iron's Australian division, Wormald International, and the Australian Industry Development Corporation to build Collins-class submarines for the Royal Australian Navy. In 1989, Kockums acquired Karlskronavarvet [sv], which operated the shipyards in Karlskrona, mainly for its then-cutting-edge fibreglass technology.

After Saab's purchase of Celsius AB in 1999, Kockums was sold to German shipbuilder HDW. Subsequently, in 2005 HDW became part of German conglomerate Thyssen Krupp. The years following 1999 were marked by persistent disputes between Kockums' sole Swedish client—the Defence Materiel Administration (FMV)—and its German proprietors. Sweden advocated that technological advancements developed collaboratively with FMV should be leveraged to produce a new submarine generation aimed at profitable exports: the A26 submarine. Conversely, Germany viewed the A26 project as high-risk with potentially escalating costs.

At face value, tensions appeared rooted in both ThyssenKrupp and FMV’s unwillingness to absorb unforeseen development expenses. Given that many technical innovations intended for A26 remained classified by FMV, ThyssenKrupp contended that cost estimations were too uncertain. This impasse endured for months until FMV ultimately canceled the A26 order.

On a broader scale, strategic disagreements arose as ThyssenKrupp pushed for Kockums to cease large submarine construction and concentrate on smaller submersibles. Meanwhile, anonymous insiders alleged that ThyssenKrupp’s acquisition aimed not at synergy with HDW but rather at eliminating a key competitor.

The geopolitical shift following Russia’s annexation of Crimea in March 2014 intensified scrutiny over Sweden's defense interests tied to Kockums. Peter Hultquist, chairman of the Swedish parliament's Standing Committee on Defense, remarked that this event prompted government resolve to maintain a robust defense industry under Swedish control as a foundation for future defense policy.

Seeking a partner for next-generation submarine development, FMV engaged with Saab Group. In autumn 2013 Saab attempted to negotiate purchasing Kockums from ThyssenKrupp; however, demands from ThyssenKrupp to retain exclusive rights over A26 led Saab to decline an agreement. Saab then approached Kockums engineers with job offers at Saab Naval Systems. Despite attempts by ThyssenKrupp—including offering additional salary—to retain staff loyalty, several engineers accepted Saab’s proposals.

Hostilities escalated dramatically during an incident on 8 April 2014 when military trucks escorted by armed personnel entered Malmö’s Kockums shipyard to repossess all equipment belonging to FMV along with classified blueprints and documents. In response, Kockums employees attempted to obstruct this action by locking gates while personnel were still inside with the repossession team. According to FMV representatives, this marked their first forced equipment recovery.

Shortly thereafter ThyssenKrupp entered negotiations to sell Kockums to Saab. The transaction was completed on 22 July 2014, officially transferring ownership of Kockums to Saab.

Exports

File:Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia: In November 2014, Saab officially submitted a proposal for the SEA 1000, which is the Royal Australian Navy's initiative to replace its fleet of six Collins-class submarine vessels. Defence Minister David Johnston emphasized the urgency of the decision, stating, "A swift resolution is necessary, and whatever choice is made will serve the nation's best interests". The Australian Government had initially considered procuring the more costly Sōryū-class submarine models offered by the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force, but internal resistance prompted an open tender process for this multi-billion-dollar contract. Ultimately, Australia chose Naval Group (previously DCNS) from France and their Shortfin Barracuda-class submarine design to succeed the Collins-class, although this agreement was later cancelled.

In December 2014, it was revealed that prominent Dutch shipbuilder Damen Group had formed a partnership with Saab to jointly develop, propose, and construct advanced submarines. Their initial focus is on replacing four Walrus-class submarine vessels currently in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy.

The Kockums Crane

File:Kockumskranen01 2000-02-22.jpg

The crane as seen in February 2000.

At its shipyard, a towering crane reaching 138 metres in height, known as the Kockums Crane, was constructed during 1973 and 1974. With a lifting capacity of 1500 tons, it held the distinction of being the largest crane worldwide upon its completion in 1974. Due to the downturn in Sweden’s shipbuilding industry throughout the late 1970s and 1980s, its operational use was limited. The crane’s final assignment took place in 1997 when it lifted the foundational pillars for the Öresund Bridge.

Initially sold in the early 1990s to the Danish firm Burmeister & Wain, the crane's ownership changed hands after that company declared bankruptcy soon after. Subsequently, it was acquired by the Korean enterprise Hyundai Heavy Industries. Serving as an iconic feature of Malmö’s skyline from its erection until its dismantling, the crane was transported to Ulsan in South Korea during the summer of 2002.

Vessels Constructed by Kockums

Vessels Utilizing Kockums Technology

Collins-class submarines
Archer-class submarines (modernized variants of the Västergötland class)
Sōryū-class submarine

Upcoming Vessels

Blekinge-class submarine (A26 model, designated as the successor to the Södermanland-class submarine)

References

Cite error: <ref> tag with name "ne" defined in <references> is not used in prior text.

External links

Template:Kockums Naval Solutions Lua error in Module:Authority_control at line 159: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).