The stamp gives us one of the Norwegian Ula class submarines, when you enlarge the stamp it shows the pendant No S 303 which belongs to the KNM UTVÆR.
The class was an international project
Pressure hull sections were built by Kvaerner Brug A/S, Oslo and assembled by Thyssen Nordseewerke, Emden, Germany, while the combat systems were manufactured by Kongsberg Gruppe, Norway.
30 September 1982 the class was ordered.
20 April 1990 launched as KNM UTVAER (S 303). Five sisters.
Displacement 940 tons standard, 1.040 tons surface, 1.150 tons submerged. Dim. 59 x 5.4 x 4.6m. (draught).
Powered diesel electric by two MTU 16V652 TB91 diesel engines, each 1.260 hp., one Siemens electric motor, 6.000 shp., one shaft, speed surfaced 11 knots, submerged 23 knots.
Range by a speed of 8 knots, 5.750 miles surfaced.
Armament 8 – 533mm bow tubes for 14 DM2A3 Seahecht wire guided torpedoes.
Safe diving dept 250 meter, but it is given that she can dive to 500 meter.
Crew appr. 18 -21.
08 November 1990 completed. Building cost approx. US$110 million.
She is intended mostly for primarily for coastal operations and is therefore comparatively small.
The class are the first Norwegian submarines with berths for the entire crew and shower.
She are based at the Haakonsvern Navy yard in Bergen, Norway.
After the first world war, the Storting granted funds for new submarines, this time choosing the American Holland class which had the same diving depth as the A class but carried a larger crew (23 men). Between 1923 and 1930 six Norwegian submarines were built by the main Navy shipyard in cooperation with the Kaldnes and Thunes yards.
Norway took over three submarines from the British Navy during the second world war and a further three after the war. The Germans also left behind fifteen submarines. Four of these were repaired and incorporated into the Norwegian Navy. They had a crew of 47 men and a diving depth of 180 meters.
In line with the Navy's Fleet Plan of 1960, the Storting approved the building of fifteen new submarines during the period from 1964 to 1967. These were of a German type and called the Kobben class. Further additions, also German in type, were made to the fleet between 1989 and 1992. These Ula class submarines are often described as the world's most advanced coastal submarines, with an official diving depth of 250 meters. They can in fact dive much deeper - down to 500 meters it is claimed.
Wikipedia gives the following on the class:
The ordering of a new Norwegian submersible design stemmed from a 1972 decision to modernize the Royal Norwegian Navy (RNoN) submarine flotilla, which then consisted of the aging Kobben class submarines.
The construction of the vessels was an international project. The combat systems were made in Norway by Koningsberg, the attack sonar is German and the flank sonar’s French. The hull sections were produced in Norway, and then assembled in Germany by Thysen Nordseewerke, Emden in Germany, the design is known as the U-Boot-Klasse 210.
When commissioned Ulas were the first Norwegian submarines with berths for the entire crew and a shower
The Ula class submarines are among the most silent and maneuverable submarines in the world. This, in combination with the relatively small size, makes them difficult to detect from surface vessels and ideal for operations in coastal areas. The Ula class submarines are regarded as both the most effective and cost-effective weapons in the RNoN.
In recent years, several submarines of the Ula class have been deployed in the Mediterranean in support of the NATO Operation Active Endeavour, where their intelligence gathering ability have surpassed expectations. Their operational availability proved to be the highest of all the ships taking part in the operation. However, this deployment has highlighted the need to make the Ula class submarines better able to keep temperatures from getting too high for the crew when operating in warm waters. As a response to this, the HNoMS Ula have now been "tropicalized" by installing new cooling systems, and two more of the class are due for "tropicalization".
During the period 2006-2008, the Ula class will be modernized. Most notably, the submarines will get new communication equipment and new electronic warfare support measures and a periscope upgrade.
In May 2008, the contract for new sonar’s was signed. The first submarine will have new sonar in 21 months time, and the last in 52 months The Ula class will probably be kept in Norwegian service until 2020.
Norway 2009 15.50Kr. sg?, scott?
Source: Norwegian Post web-site. The Encyclopedia of Warships. Watercraft Philately Volume 56 page 1.