The Defense Acquisition Program Administration delivered the submarine rescue ship (ASR)-II Ganghwado to the Navy on November 1st at the Hanwha Ocean Shipyard in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do.
After signing the construction contract in December 2018, the Ganghwado has been handed over following its construction and keel-laying ceremony in 2020, establishing the Navy’s maritime rescue forces with four ships: two surface rescue ships, Tongyeong and Gwangyang, and two submarine rescue ships, Cheonghaejin and Ganghwado. This is expected to significantly enhance the Navy’s maritime rescue operations capability.
The Ganghwado, with a displacement of 5,600 tons, has seen a substantial increase compared to the existing submarine rescue ship Cheonghaejin, which has a displacement of 3,200 tons. Consequently, its operational days per year have increased significantly to 350 days compared to Cheonghaejin’s 190 days, greatly improving the effectiveness of its rescue operations. It can also accommodate one more rescue personnel than Cheonghaejin, which accommodates 16.
The Ganghwado was constructed using a method where the deep-sea rescue vehicle (DSRV) is launched and recovered through the center well of the ship. This method, compared to using the A-frame crane installed at the stern of the existing Cheonghaejin, is less affected by weather conditions and allows rescue operations to be conducted even in adverse weather.
Shin Hyun-seung, the head of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration’s Naval Ship Department and a Navy Brigadier General, stated, “The Ganghwado will become a ‘steadfast guardian of submarine operations’ that allows our submarines to focus on missions with peace of mind, even in the unpredictable depths of the sea.”