Taiwan Navy to Commission Locally Made Corvette
The Taiwan Navy plans to put its first locally designed stealth missile corvette and a new locally manufactured supply vessel into service late next month, says a press statement.
There will be a ceremony to formally put the corvette Tuo Jiang and supply vessel Panshih into service is scheduled to take place in late March at the navy’s Zuoying base in Kaohsiung.
Training on the 502-ton Tuo Jiang began after the corvette was officially delivered to the Navy by local shipbuilder Lung Teh Shipbuilding Co. at a ceremony held Dec. 23 at a commercial harbor in Suao, eastern Taiwan.
The twin-hulled Hsun-hai class corvette is equipped with several weapons, including the locally developed Hsiung Feng II and Hsiung Feng III anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm gun and Mark 46 torpedoes, the Navy said.
The new ship, which cost about NT$2.1 billion (US$66.39 million), was purchased as part of the Navy's efforts to modernize its fleet.
