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TWO KIDD-CLASS DESTROYERS TO BE COMMISSIONED SATURDAY

ROC Central News Agency

2005-12-16 15:38:47

    Taipei, Dec. 16 (CNA) A pair of Kidd-class destroyers purchased from the United States and delivered to Taiwan near the start of this month are scheduled to be commissioned at the northeastern military base of Keelung Saturday, Republic of China Navy sources said Friday.

    President Chen Shui-bian is expected to travel to Keelung Saturday to officiate, as the commander in chief of the ROC armed forces, at a ceremony marking the commissioning of the "1801 Keelung" and the "1802 Suao" destroyers.

    The "1801 Keelung" and the "1802 Suao, " two of the four Kidd-class destroyers purchased from the United States in 2003, arrived at the northeastern military base of Suao Dec. 8 from a shipyard in Charleston, South Carolina after a month-long voyage which also included logistics stops at U.S. Navy bases in Hawaii and Guam.

    ROC Navy authorities said that after the two Kidd-class destroyers are commissioned, they will form the outer periphery of a naval defensive fleet, while the Perry-class, Knox-class and Lafayette-class frigates will play an "inner circle" role. The Kidd-class destroyers will target enemy planes that have fired missiles, allowing the other frigates to deal with the incoming missiles, they said.

    Both Capt. Chen Hsin-fa, skipper of the "1801 Keelung," and Capt. Shen Yi-teh, skipper of the "1802 Suao, " have previously served as captains aboard Perry-class frigates.

    Navy officers and seed instructors, as well as repair and maintenance technicians had received training in the United States to prepare for the delivery of the two de-mothballed destroyers, which have also undergone sea trials and weaponry systems tests over the past month, the Navy authorities said.

    Taiwan purchased the four destroyers, built in the late 1970s, at a cost of NT$24 billion (US$0.73 billion) in June 2003.

    The other two destroyers are expected to be delivered by the end of 2006.

(By Deborah Kuo)

ENDITEM/Li