[Military Story] Secretly Full Shot Full Kill... The World of Submarines

Experience Report of Submarine Training on Dosan Ahn Changho-class 2nd Ship Anmu-class Submarine

A submarine is a weapon system that moves stealthily underwater, unseen, and delivers a powerful hidden strike that changes the course and dynamics of a battle. Knowing the power of submarines, our Navy first operated a small submarine in 1984. Forty years later, the Navy's submarine force has been significantly strengthened. It possesses Jangbogo-class (1200t, 9 units in active service), Son Won-il-class (1800t, 9 units), and Dosan Ahn Changho-class (3000t, 3 units) submarines. The Navy publicly revealed the strike training of Anmu (SS-085), the second ship of the strategic Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarines. This is the first time the actual submergence and strike training of a Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine have been disclosed.

A crew member of the 3000-ton class submarine Anmu is preparing for a torpedo attack on a target according to the scenario of contact with an enemy submarine. (Photo by the Navy)

The 3,000-ton submarine Anmuham is entering Busan Operational Base after completing attack training against enemy submarines and surface ships. (Photo by the Navy)

Upon entering the Busan Naval Operations Command, a black object on the sea caught the eye. It was Anmu. More than half of the submarine's hull was submerged underwater, making it difficult to gauge its size from afar. The closer one approached, the more the massive size of 83.3 meters in length and 9.6 meters in width became apparent. Climbing onto the submarine deck, the hatch opened. The hatch was large enough for one person to enter, and one had to descend approximately 8 meters through it.

Following the captain's command, the order "All hands, dive position!" echoed inside the submarine. The crew completed preparations and repeated the command "Flood ballast tanks!" The submarine fills the ballast tanks at the bow and stern with water to increase the hull's weight and submerge. While moving forward, the hull was moved up and down to expel unnecessary residual air in a maneuver called the 'dolphin maneuver.' Residual air bubbles, when released, can affect the sonar by producing popping sounds.

A dark and cramped combat command room like in the movies

The combat command room was dark and cramped, just like in the movies. On one wall hung the phrase ‘先見, 先決, 先打’ (Seongyeon, Seongyeol, Seongta), meaning "See first, decide first, strike first." The training scenario depicted an enemy submarine equipped with submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) that had left its base undetected. A submarine missing from the enemy base is highly likely to infiltrate south of the Northern Limit Line (NLL) and provoke maritime provocations.

In the quiet stillness, the sonar operator focused intently on detecting underwater noise. Not a single small sound was overlooked. The characteristics of the sound were tracked. The unique noise emitted by a submarine was identified. The captain issued the order, "Alert. Enemy SLBM-equipped submarine contact confirmed. All hands battle stations!" Upon confirming the enemy submarine's entry south of the NLL, Anmu prepared for a torpedo attack. Upon the report "Torpedo No. 1 ready to fire!" the captain shouted without hesitation, "Countdown and fire!" On the monitor, a virtual torpedo sped toward the enemy submarine. While the torpedo was launched, it emitted sonar pulses toward the enemy submarine. Whether the sonar signal returned determined if the torpedo hit. The signal was lost. It was a hit.

Relieved, Anmu surfaced but detected an approaching enemy surface ship. It immediately dived again. After re-identifying the enemy surface ship, it fired another torpedo. This time, it was a perfect hit again.

Torpedo fired immediately upon detecting enemy submarine... a direct hit in one shot

After the training, the inside of the submarine was toured. The crew totaled about 50, including female personnel. Anmu was the first submarine to have female crew members onboard. Four female personnel, including Combat Information Officer Captain Seong Ju-bin and three non-commissioned officers, are aboard Anmu. Captain Seong said, "There are no female crew members on our submarine, only crew members," adding, "Being female does not affect submarine life in any way."

The interior of Anmu is about twice as spacious as previous submarines. In the past, three people shared one bed in shifts. The bed was warm with human presence 24 hours a day. However, starting with Anmu, improvements were made. There are as many bunks as crew members. Given the 24-hour shift nature of submarine duty, everyone essentially has a personal bunk.

Although the space is unimaginably large for a submarine, it is still cramped for daily life. Equipment densely packed means that careless movements can easily result in bumping heads or legs. There is no upper height limit for crew members, but there is a minimum height requirement. Crew must be able to connect emergency breathing apparatuses to air hoses hanging from the ceiling in case of fire or other emergencies. The restroom is a battleground against noise. To prevent noise, after use, one must press a pedal under the toilet to open the discharge port and then manually clean with a shower spray. There is no flushing sound like a lever releasing water with a "swish." One of the few pleasures in the sealed life inside the pressure hull is eating. The two cooks aboard Anmu prepare meals including pork soup rice (Dwaeji Gukbap). However, fried foods are not served due to fire risk.

A Navy official said, "A 3000-ton class submarine itself is a 'strategic dagger' (匕首)," adding, "The mere fear of retaliation by a submarine underwater has a deterrent effect on war."