Navy christens new fast combat support ship
ROC Central News Agency
2013/11/05 19:20:06
Taipei, Nov. 5 (CNA) The Navy christened a self-made fast combat support ship Tuesday in Kaohsiung, with the aim of putting the vessel into service by the end of the year, according to the Ministry of National Defense.
The ship, the second of its kind in Taiwan, was named Panshih after a mountain in eastern Taiwan in the hope that it will be as strong as a rock, the ministry said in a statement.
The vessel is designed as an AOE, in accordance with the U.S. Navy hull classification system, which means it is a logistics ship that will supply oil, ammunition and stores to other ships in a battle group.
It has a range of 8,000 nautical miles, maximum speed of 22 knots and the capacity to carry a complement of 165.
The new ship will help boost Taiwan's combat capability, according to Chief of General Staff Kao Kuang-chi.
Starting Tuesday, the ship will undergo various checks and will be put into service once the tests are completed successfully, said Kao, whose wife later christened the vessel with a bottle of champagne.
Panshih is 196 meters long with a beam of 25.2 meters and a draft of 8.6 meters. It has a full displacement of 20,859 tons and light displacement of 10,371 tons.
(By Claudia Liu and James Lee)
ENDITEM /pc
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