NAVY TO SEND THREE SHIPS TO HELP IMMOBILIZED 'CHENG HO' OFF PALAU
ROC Central News Agency
2006-03-21 19:01:22
Taipei, March 21 (CNA) The Republic of China Navy will send three ships to Palau to help tow back the immobilized Cheng Kung-class frigate Cheng Ho, the Naval Fleet Command said Tuesday.
Wu Chi-fang, a spokesman for the command, told a news conference that the three ships to be sent to Cheng Ho's rescue will consist of a La Fayette-type frigate and two tugboats, which will tow Cheng Ho back to the naval base at Tsoying in southern Taiwan for repairs.
He said that crewmembers of Cheng Ho -- one of the two ships in Taiwan's goodwill flotilla currently visiting Palau -- felt an impact underneath the ship as it was sailing into Malakal Port Monday.
It was suspected that the ship's propeller blades struck an unidentified object in the water as the 4,105-ton Cheng Kung-class frigate -- a Taiwan-built version of the American Oliver Hazard Perry class -- was being led by a pilot boat into the harbor.
The spokesman said that a diver's inspection established that Cheng Ho suffered a damaged propeller.
Cheng Ho is now located about 51 sea miles off Palau in a deep-water area, he said, adding that the ship has not set anchor, and that a tugboat from Palau is remaining beside it to provide necessary assistance.
The Naval Fleet Command indicated a day earlier that the navy will dispatch a La Fayette-type frigate of the Kang Ting-class to replace Cheng Ho and continue the goodwill mission with combat support ship Wu Yi, the largest naval ship ever built in Taiwan.
(By Han Nai-kuo)
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