Navy still searching for submariners lost at sea for over 72 hours
ROC Central News Agency
12/24/2023 05:08 PM
Taipei, Dec. 24 (CNA) Taiwan's Navy said Saturday that it is still searching for three submariners more than 72 hours after a large wave swept them off overboard during a training mission.
In a statement, the Navy said that it continued to dispatch helicopters and ships to look for Master Chief Petty Officer surnamed Lin (林) and two petty officers surnamed Yen (顏) and Chang (張).
The three submariners were serving on board the Hai Hu (海虎), or Sea Tiger, when they were swept into the sea while attempting to retrieve a rescue buoy south of Liuqiu, Pingtung County, around noon on Thursday.
Three others swept into the water -- a lieutenant commander surnamed Chen (陳), a lieutenant surnamed Tsung (叢) and a petty officer surnamed Lee (李) -- were pulled from the water conscious not long after the incident, the Navy said.
The statement was released when asked for comment by CNA following the elapsing of 72 hours -- also known as the "golden time" for search and rescue missions -- since the incident.
The Navy said the six sailors had been standing on the Hai Hu's deck attempting to retrieve a rescue buoy that had fallen off the submarine when the incident occurred.
So far the rescue mission for the three missing crew members has only managed to find the rescue buoy as well as one life jacket from the submarine, according to the Navy.
Following a visit to the three rescued submariners at a Kaohsiung military hospital on Friday, Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) apologized to the nation for another accident within the armed forces.
Citing initial investigations, Chiu said all the six submariners who went overboard were wearing life jackets and had been tethered to the deck by a safety harness, which was supposed to prevent them from going overboard.
However, a buckle attaching the harnesses to a safety line deformed, probably due to weather conditions, resulting in the crew members falling into the sea, Chiu said.
The minister pledged to conduct a full review and reform to prevent similar incidents in the future.
Hai Hu is one of two Chien Lung-class (Sword Dragon) submarines Taiwan purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s, the other being Hai Lung or Sea Dragon.
Taiwan also possesses two World War II vintage submarines purchased from the United States in the 1970s, but they are now used exclusively for training purposes.
The country is now building its indigenous submarines to replace the aging fleet and the launch of a prototype the Hai Kun (海鯤), or "Narwhal," was held in September.
The construction of domestic submarines means Taiwan will have a total of three combat-ready submarines by 2025, and four by 2027, according to the Navy.
(By Matt Yu and Joseph Yeh)
Enditem/ASG
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