Kaohsiung, June 22 (CNA) The Republic of China Navy opened its only two Dutch-made submarines, acquired in the late 1980s, to the mass media on Thursday.
Twenty journalists boarded the Sworddragon-class Sub "Sea Tiger," one of the two 66.92-meter submarines owned by the ROC Navy modeled after the Netherlands' Zwaardvis-class submarine, for an undersea ride.
This marked the first time ever that the ROC Navy has given media access to the two Dutch-made submarines since the vessels were delivered to Taiwan in 1986 and 1987 respectively.
"Sea Tiger" and "Sea Dragon" represent two of the four submarines that the ROC Navy currently possesses. The two others, commissioned in the early 70s as "Sea Lion" and "Sea Jaguar," are US-made Guppy-class diesel-electric subs that are now restricted to use for training purposes.
The ROC Navy has wanted to acquire at least 10 more submarines to meet it basic coastal defense requirements and ensure naval security but has failed in its attempts since 1987 due primarily to political reasons. Most submarine-producing countries are reluctant to sell the hardware to Taiwan for fear of offending Beijing.
The Zwaardvis-class "Sea Dragon" and "Sea Tiger" are currently the backbone of the ROC Navy's underwater defense force responsible for anti-submarine and coastal surveillance missions.
The "Sea Dragon" and "Sea Tiger" each stands 66.92 meters long and 8.4 meters wide and are equipped with six 21-inch torpedo launchers and advanced navigation and combat systems. Each submarine has the capacity to carry 11 officers and 66 soldiers.
Each submarine is equipped with three 4,050 horsepower Brons/Stork-Werkspoor 120RUB215 diesel engines, two 922KW Holec generators, and 196 batteries in two settings. With a single-shaft, a five-leave propeller, the vessels have a maximum surface horsepower of 1,400 and a maximum underwater horsepower of 5,100.
The subs are capable of traveling at a maximum speed of 12 knots on the water's surface and at a speed of 20 knots underwater. They have a maximum diving capacity of 240 meters and a maximum mileage of 12,000 nautical miles.
The underwater media event was hosted by Admiral Fei Hung-po of the Navy Fleet Command. All the 20 journalists participating received high-pressure tests before boarding the vessel to ensure that they were physically fit for the submarine ride.
(By K.J. Lo and Deborah Kuo)
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