The navy, has recovered and defused the torpedo that went out of control during the Hankuang No. 19 military exercise on Sept. 4.
There was a realistic chance of the torpedo exploding during the defusing process, as it still had some stored battery power which, though not great enough to drive the device, could have triggered an explosion if not carefully and properly handled, sources said.
The Navy General Headquarters acknowledged yesterday that defusing the torpedo was indeed a dangerous job, but that it had to be done because authorities needed the torpedo intact.
"We want to find out why the torpedo went out of control during the military exercise. This is why we did not detonate the torpedo, which would have been a safer option," said a Navy General Headquarters press officer.
"The torpedo is currently being examined at Tsoying base in Kaohsiung. No results are available at the moment," the officer said.
The torpedo was the first live one that the navy had fired from a submarine. It was a German-made SUT heavyweight wire-guided model, which the navy bought over a decade ago with the help of Indonesia.
On Sept. 4, as the SUT torpedo was fired at a target ship from a Dutch-made submarine, the wire that connected it to the submarine broke for reasons yet to be determined.
The out-of-control torpedo became an immediate threat to the submarine and surface ships that guarded the waters outside the exercise zone off Ilan.
The submarine responded quickly and dived to a great depth, while the surface ships sped away from the scene at high speed.
The torpedo was found that evening by civilians at a beach around 15 to 16km from where the exercise was held.
The navy had no previous experience in handling an unexploded torpedo. It had only a short list of personnel that could possibly disarm the weapon.
Officers initially planned to detonate the torpedo at the beach, which was a safe and quick option. The plans included exploding the weapon by firing at it with machine guns from a distance.
The detonation plans were dropped for fears that the explosion might be big enough to cause unexpected damage, the navy said.
The alternative was to carry the torpedo to an offshore point, where specialized personnel could defuse it.
The navy selected a small group of bomb specialists, the best in the service, for the task.
A naval official, who spoke in private, said it might be time for the navy or other armed services to seriously consider how to best protect service members while executing dangerous missions.
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