Taiwan's navy quietly held a party at the Tsoying naval base in southern Taiwan last weekend to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the commissioning of the submarine SS-791 -- dubbed the Sea Lion -- into service.
At the age of 60, the US-made sub is not only the Navy's longest-serving submarine but also the world's oldest submarine still in service.
It is one of only two submarines built during World War II that have managed to continue active service in the 21st century. The other -- SS-792, or the Sea Leopard -- also belongs to Taiwan's navy.
Both are Tench-class diesel-powered submarines. They were transferred to the navy in April and October 1973, respectively, after being retired from the US Navy. They have since formed an integral part of Taiwan's submarine fleet, which also includes two Dutch-made, Sword Dragon-class submarines, the Sea Tiger and the Sea Dragon.
More than 500 officers and men aboard the Sea Lion as well as their families and retired service members took part in the April 12 celebration party.
The Sea Lion story has attracted global attention and over the years, many of the navy's foreign guests have asked to visit the submarine during their trips to Taiwan.
"The Sea Lion has almost become the most important 'tourist attraction' at the Tsoying military complex," a naval officer, who preferred anonymity, said jokingly.
The vintage submarine has also drawn the interest of major foreign military museums. In February this year, the San Francisco Submarine Museum commissioned a production crew of the Discovery TV channel to shoot a documentary introducing the Sea Lion's legendary service life.
According to an agreement with the Navy, the documentary cannot be shown until after the Sea Lion has been decommissioned.
After the US agreed to sell Taiwan eight conventional submarines in 2001, naval sources said, the retirement of the Sea Lion and the Sea Leopard is just a "matter of time."
A local military analyst said the two aging subs should not be dismantled after their retirement. "One of them could be turned into a submarine training classroom and the other could be towed to the estuary of the Tamshui River in northern Taiwan to serve as a naval museum," he suggested.
A Washington Times reporter once described the Sea Lion as a "grounded whale" after he toured the ship in 2000.
The journalist even said that if the submarine went on an underwater mission at sea, it might become a "widowmaker."
However, many retired Sea Lion officers and men disagreed with the journalist's observation.
Despite its advanced age, they said, the Sea Lion remains "as vibrant as a live dragon" and still functions well.
A retired Sea Lion officer said the sub can carry out all the duties that the two Sword Dragon-class subs usually perform, ranging from enemy port surveillance, interception of electronic warfare intelligence and transporting special forces to enemy frontiers.
"Until two years ago, it still often navigated underwater for two weeks at a time. And week-long underwater navigation is run-of-the-mill for the Sea Lion," he said, adding that its quietness is another of the Sea Lion's merits.
Of course, he went on, some of the sub's equipment and gear is old and has lost some of its function. For instance, he said, its active and passive sonar systems are aging, thus shortening the range of its monitoring.
Because of its limited space, the cook is the only service member aboard the sub who can take a bath everyday during its underwater cruise missions.
SPACE VETERAN: Kjell N. Lindgren, who helps lead NASA’s human spaceflight missions, has been on two expeditions on the ISS and has spent 311 days in space Taiwan-born US astronaut Kjell N. Lindgren is to visit Taiwan to promote technological partnerships through one of the programs organized by the US for its 250th national anniversary. Lindgren would be in Taiwan from Tuesday to Saturday next week as part of the US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs’ US Speaker Program, organized to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) said in a statement yesterday. Lindgren plans to engage with key leaders across the nation “to advance cutting-edge technological partnerships and inspire the next generation of scientists and engineers,”
UNREASONABLE SURVEILLANCE: A camera targeted on an road by a neighbor captured a man’s habitual unsignaled turn into home, netting him dozens of tickets The Taichung High Administrative Court has canceled all 45 tickets given to a man for failing to use a turn signal while driving, as it considered long-term surveillance of his privacy more problematic than the traffic violations. The man, surnamed Tseng (曾), lives in Changhua County and was reported 45 times within a month for failing to signal while driving when he turned into the alley where his residence is. The reports were filed by his neighbor, who set up security cameras that constantly monitored not only the alley but also the door and yard of Tseng’s house. The surveillance occurred from July
A Japan Self-Defense Forces vessel entered the Taiwan Strait yesterday, Japanese media reported. After passing through the Taiwan Strait, the Ikazuchi was to proceed to the South China Sea to take part in a joint military exercise with the US and the Philippines, the reports said. Japan Self-Defense Force vessels were first reported to have passed through the strait in September, 2024, with two further transits taking place in February and June last year, the Asahi Shimbun reported. Yesterday’s transit also marked the first time since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi took office that a Japanese warship has been sent through the Taiwan
ANOTHER OPTION: The 13-year-old, whose residency status was revoked for holding a Chinese passport, could still apply for residency on humanitarian grounds, the government said The Executive Yuan has rejected an appeal from a 13-year-old Chinese student surnamed Lu (陸), whose permanent residency was revoked after immigration officers discovered he held a Chinese passport. Lu in December 2023 applied to settle in Taiwan to be with his mother, surnamed Lin (林), who is a Taiwan resident, an appeal decision released this month by the Executive Yuan showed. Lin settled in Taiwan after marrying a Taiwanese man in 2003, but the two divorced in 2011, and after marrying a Chinese man, she had Lu, the Executive Yuan’s appeals committee said. Lu’s application was approved in December 2024, and in
RSS