The Gal class of submarines were the first Israeli Navy submarines built to Israeli Navy specifications. They supplant previous generations of submarines employed from 1958 by the Israeli navy which were refurbished and upgraded boats of the British S class and T class; submarines whose hull designs dated back to the decade before World War II.

The first ship commissioned was Gal in December 1976. It was damaged by grounding on her delivery voyage but was repaired. Gal is now on display at the Israeli Naval museum in Haifa.