The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN) Type 209/1200 submarine Chong Un is seen here on a marine railway at South Korea's giant Daewoo Shipyard at Okpo in March 1999, a year after the 1,285-ton (submerged displacement), German designed boat was commissioned. Other than the Howaldtswerke-built class prototype, Daewoo has assembled all of the ROKN's current seven diesel submarines, which are equipped mainly with European- and U.S.-manufactured machinery, weapons, and sensors. Now, with two of the class left to launch, Daewoo's parent company has decided to leave the money losing shipbuilding business and has put the yard up for sale. Daewoo (teamed witt Howaldtswerke) and arch-rival Hyundai (teamed with France's DCN) had been the principal competitors for the ROKN's larger, follow-on, six-unit SSU submarine program. That project reportedly faces further jeopardy, however, because of a Ministry of Defense decision to purchase three new Kilo-class submarines from Russia as part of a program to reduce Russia's massive lending debt to South Korea. The Korean president was said to be negotiating the arrangements during his late May to 4 June visit to Moscow.
Daewoo also is the builder of the first and third of three small destroyers in the KDX-I program. The first, the Kwanggaeto, was commissioned last July, and the third, the Xangmanchu, was launched this spring. The photo shows the Hyundai built second ship, the Ulchimundo, which was commissioned this March. Displacing about the same as the elderly U.S. Gearing (DD-710) and Sumner (DD-692)-class destroyers they are replacing, 3,855 tons (full load), the 444-foot KDX-I trio carry a heavy armament that includes 8 Harpoon and 16 vertically launched Sea Sparrow missiles, an OTOBreda 127-mm rapid-fire gun, two 30-mm Goalkeeper close-in defense systems, two triple antisubmarine torpedo tube mounts, and two Super Lynx helicopters, themselves capable of launching Sea Skua antiship missiles or antisubmarine torpedoes. The trio can achieve 33 knots on their two LM2500 gas turbines and cruise on the power from two MTU diesels. Fifteen officers and 170 enlisted personnel constitute the crew, and the ships have a range of 4,500 nautical miles at 18 knots.
Intended to support the increasingly wider-ranging German Navy on deployments, the Type 702 multipurpose Einsatsgruppe Versorgungsschiffe (Deployment Group Support Ship) Berlin-seen here just after launch on 30 April at Flensburg-will be the German Navy's largest warship when commissioned in April next year. A sister, the Frankfurt/Main, is to be laid down next May for completion in February 2002, and two more are planned to be laid down around 2010 to replace the current oilers Spessart and Rhon. The 20,240-ton (full load displacement) Berlin will have a crew of 60, plus provision for a medical staff of 50 (whose hospital facilities and supplies will be carried in 29 modular containers) and 30 aviation personnel to maintain and operate two Sea King-sized helicopters. The 20-knot, double-hulled ships will carry 9,000 cubic meters of fuel for ships, 600 cubic meters of aviation fuel, 550 cubic meters of potable water, 100 tons of spare parts, 280 tons of provisions (some in deck-mounted refrigerated containers), and 160 tons of munitions, among other cargo. Diesel powered, the 570-foot ships will have a nominal endurance of 45 days.