The navy plans to rent a dock in Kaohsiung harbor to accommodate part of the four Kidd-class destroyers it plans to buy from the US, defense sources said yesterday.
The dock-rental plan is expected to save operational costs because it is relatively cheap to rent a dock in Kaohsiung harbor on a long-term basis, the sources said.
However, the navy has not given up its initial plan to build a new dock in Kaohsiung's Tsoying military port for the Kidds.
The dock-construction project will take several years, prompting the navy to consider renting a dock in Kaohsiung harbor before the dock in the Tsoying military port can be completed.
By the time the docking facilities in Tsoying are completed, the four Kidds will have two places to stop in the Kaohsiung area.
The navy is currently working on the details of the dock-rental plan since the first two of the four Kidds are expected to be delivered to Taiwan in late 2004 or early 2005.
The Kaohsiung harbor has suitable sites for the navy to dock the Kidds because many berths have a water depth of over 10.5m, a basic requirement for the Kidds. Most of these sites are located in the deep-water section of the harbor.
The navy owns a dock in the harbor, but it is only large enough for one Kidd warship at a time. The dock, called "Hsinpin," is the place where ships from Singapore's navy stay when arriving for a visit or training mission.
Besides the Kaohsiung harbor, the navy has chosen the northeastern Suao harbor as the another major base for the Kidds.
The Suao harbor, now home to the Knox-class frigates, has some problems. The harbor is well known for its "tricky design," requiring greater attention from ship crews when moving in and out of the harbor.
A naval official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the design means that the harbor was structured in a way that would confuse naval captains.
"The harbor was designed by the Japanese. We really do not know whether we should thank or curse the Japanese for the design," the official said.
Another problem with the Suao harbor is that it does not have sufficient logistics facilities for larger-sized warships like the Kidd, the official said. The Kaohsiung harbor, by contrast, does not have this problem.
"The structure of the [Suao] harbor is not very good, either. Not enough attention was given when, over 10 years ago, the harbor added new facilities to accommodate newer warships like the Knox," he said.
With docking places in both the eastern and western parts of the island, the Kidds are expected to have greater flexibility in deployment and the greater endurance against potential enemy attacks.
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