[Military Story] First Reveal of Next-Generation Submarine Rescue Ship to be Delivered to Navy This Year [Yang Nakgyu's Defence Club]

Hanwha Ocean Okpo Shipyard Tour... First Media Boarding of Ganghwado-class Warship
120m Long Vessel Equipped with Various Submarine Rescue Equipment

North Korea launched a military reconnaissance satellite last May. It was the first launch of the space launch vehicle ‘Cheollima-1’ carrying the reconnaissance satellite ‘Malligyung-1’. The result was a failure. The second-stage rocket ignition failed, causing the space launch vehicle to crash into the sea about 200 km west of Oechungdo, Gunsan, Jeonbuk. The military launched a salvage operation for the debris. If only the launch vehicle debris could be recovered, it could serve as the ‘smoking gun’ to reveal the specifications and performance of the North Korean launch vehicle. Leading the operation was the 3,200-ton class submarine rescue ship (ASR) Cheonghaejin, which pulled up debris measuring 2 to 3 meters in diameter and 15 meters in length from the sea. This achievement helped identify the origin of parts of the North Korean launch vehicle. The South Korean Navy will receive the next submarine rescue ship, ‘Ganghwado’, this year to work alongside Cheonghaejin. To be the first media outlet to board Ganghwado, we recently visited Hanwha Ocean’s Okpo Shipyard located in Geoje, Gyeongnam.

Our Navy boarded the next-generation submarine rescue ship, 'Ganghwado,' which will be delivered this year, for the first time by a media outlet. (Photo by Hanwha Ocean)

In the distance at Okpo Shipyard, Ganghwado appeared. It was returning after sea trials. The closer we got to the pier, the more we were amazed by its size. The ship is 120 meters long and boasts a displacement of 5,600 tons. Upon boarding Ganghwado, the first thing that caught the eye was the helicopter landing pad at the stern. It is a place for rescuing sunken submarines and transporting patients. It can carry medium-sized helicopters such as the UH-60. The ship’s floor was entirely coated with anti-slip paint. We moved to the center well, the middle part of the ship. It is a space that can park about 10 passenger cars, and when the floor opens, rescue equipment can be lowered and raised. This method is the second of its kind applied worldwide. It has the advantage of being able to descend to a depth of 500 meters and rescue crew members of distressed submarines even in rough seas with waves up to 4 meters. Previously, the Navy’s Cheonghaejin ship used a structure installed at the stern to lift submarines, which could lose its center of gravity in rough seas with waves over 2 meters.

Kim Yeon-shin, the project manager (PM) of the surface ship project, said, “When Ganghwado sets satellite coordinates, it can maintain its position even in weather with 4-meter waves,” adding, “Because it lifts submarines from the middle of the ship, it does not lose its center of gravity.”

Ganghwadoham is equipped with various devices such as a Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV) for submarine rescue, Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) for underwater exploration, and a Saturation Diving Chamber (PTC). (Photo by Hanwha Ocean)

Ganghwado is equipped with three types of equipment for submarine rescue: Deep Submergence Rescue Vehicle (DSRV), Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV), and Saturation Diving Chamber (PTC).

Entering through the rear door, the PTC caught the eye. It looked like a white iron cylinder about 10 meters in circumference. The surface of the PTC is equipped with oxygen tanks and helium tanks that can produce mixed oxygen at great depths. It can accommodate two divers who can work underwater at a depth of 100 meters for about six hours. Inside the PTC are lead weights to prevent shaking even underwater. Right next to it, the ROV was also on standby. It is 2.5 meters long and 1.5 meters high. The ROV is equipped with a robotic arm at the front. It goes into deep waters over 800 meters, where human work is difficult, to retrieve submarine debris and other objects. A 1-meter cylindrical device is mounted on top of the ROV. It acts as a relay connected to the ROV body, supplying power to the ROV and transmitting information obtained by the ROV to the surface ship.

Opening the door from the center well toward the front of the ship revealed a space to store the DSRV. The DSRV often appears in movies featuring submarines such as ‘Hunter Killer’. It looks like a small submarine. It connects the hatch of the sunken submarine with the hatch of the DSRV to rescue the crew members of the sunken submarine.

Seo Ki-jong, the sea trial team leader, said, “Ganghwado is a ship that is more than twice as advanced as Cheonghaejin in terms of performance and size,” adding, “It is the result of consolidating the shipbuilding technology accumulated so far.”