Adieu! Navy's First Submarine Jangbogo Sets Out on Final Voyage

Safely Navigated Over 15 Times Around the Globe
Proved Operational Capabilities in Overseas Exercises

Our navy's first submarine, Jangbogo (SS-I, 1200-ton class), is docked at Jinhae Naval Base on the 18th, preparing for its final voyage. Photo by Navy

Jangbogo, the first submarine of the Republic of Korea Navy (SS-I, 1200-ton class), has embarked on its final voyage ahead of its retirement at the end of the year.

According to the Navy on the 19th, Jangbogo departed Jinhae Naval Base on this day, completed its final voyage of about two hours, and returned to port. The last voyage was joined by four acquisition personnel, including An Byunggu, the first commanding officer of Jangbogo and a retired brigadier general, who also led the submarine's maiden voyage.

Jangbogo is a landmark vessel that ushered in the submarine era for the Republic of Korea Navy. It was built in 1988 at the HDW shipyard in Germany. After the acquisition process, it was commissioned in 1993 as Korea's first submarine.

Over 34 years, Jangbogo safely sailed more than 342,000 miles (about 633,000 kilometers), which is over 15 times the circumference of the Earth. In 1997, Jangbogo successfully completed a solo voyage of 10,000 miles (about 18,000 kilometers) during training in Hawaii, demonstrating its long-range submerged navigation and blue-water operational capabilities. In the 2004 Rim of the Pacific Exercise (RIMPAC), it proved its operational capabilities by remaining undetected while conducting simulated attacks on more than 30 vessels, including a U.S. aircraft carrier. Jangbogo was the first submarine to participate in all major overseas exercises involving submarines.

The Jangbogo-class submarine (SS-I, 1200-ton class) program laid the foundation for securing independent domestic submarine design and construction technology, leading to the development of the Son Wonil-class submarine (SS-II, 1800-ton class) and the Dosan Ahn Changho-class submarine (SS-III, 3000-ton class), the first domestically designed submarine. An Byunggu, the first commanding officer of Jangbogo, stated, "Seeing our Navy, which learned from Germany in the early 1990s, now operating submarines over 3,000 tons and being recognized as one of the world's top diesel submarine operators fills me with immense pride."