The Navy celebrated the 63rd birthday of its oldest vessel -- the Guppy-class SS-791 Sea Lion submarine -- last Thursday.
The SS-791 was not only celebrating its 63rd birthday, but also its 34th year of service in the Navy. Along with the SS-792 Seal, the SS-791 is one of two existing "miracles" in the navy, as it is the oldest submarine still in service.
As part of the Mutual Defense Treaty between the US and the Republic of China (台美協防條約), in 1970 the US gave the SS-791 and SS-792 to the Taiwanese Navy -- after serving 28 years in the US Navy.
PHOTO: CNA
In 1973, Captain Kuan Chen-ching (
During the ceremony last Thursday, Rear Admiral Wang Hsi-ling (汪希苓), Taiwan's military attache to the US who oversaw the arrangement in the 1970s, officially accepted the two vessels on behalf of Taiwan.
With old piping, big knobs and rudders, old panels, limited space and the pervasive oil smell, the interior of the submarine is strikingly reminiscent of scenes from World War II movies. Sonars and torpedo systems complete the experience.
Among the 75 sailors on board, only the captain enjoys a private room -- and it is smaller than one ping. Everybody else, including the first officer, shares a public room for sleep. Regular meals are provided by a kitchen approximately two pings in size. It takes more than an hour for everybody on board to finish their meal as only 20 people can fit in the dining room at any given time.
With its 5,200 horsepower diesel engine, the SS-791 was initially capable of completing a non-stop 8,350km trip in approximately 45 days. Top speed under water was 12 knots and 16 knots on the surface.
A rumor that could have proven harmful to the navy's image and affect sailors' morale haunted the vessel since its acquisition, however. Some believed there was a real chance that after diving, the two Guppy-class subs would never resurface.
But SS-791 Warrant Officer Liu Tsai-hsin (劉財心) explained why the rumor never turned into reality.
"There is an air tank inside the vessel. When the submarine is on the surface, its entire weight is approximately 1,800 tonnes. When we need to dive, however, the air tank will take in 3,000 pounds [1,360kg] of air, turning the vessel into a 2,400-tonne rock. The system may be old, but it is reliable," Liu said.
Between 1944 and 1946, the US built 45 Tench-class submarines. Fourteen of those were upgraded to Guppy-class in 1950, including the SS-791.
Prior to joining the Taiwanese fleet, the SS-791 was known as the USS-478 Cutlass. It was built in the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Main, and completed on Nov. 5, 1944.
The vessel was initially equipped with 10 torpedo launch tubes and sonar systems, with 11 officers and 70 petty officers and sailors.
But the US government's plan to help Taiwan's destroyer fleet conduct anti-submarine warfare resulted in the removal of all torpedo systems from the sub before it was handed over.
After it came into service, the Navy tried to restore its torpedo capability, but its indigenous system never reached optimal operability and the SS-791 was eventually allocated for training purposes.
The Navy's Fleet 256 chief of staff Rear Admiral Yang Yi (楊木益) believes the SS-791 can still make a contribution to the training of the Navy's next generation of officers.
"It is a tough environment for future naval officers to grow in. It is small, old and slow," Yang said. "But, the vessel itself is truly a legend."
Although it is the oldest submarine in service, many contemporary high-ranking naval officers have served on board the SS-791, including Minister of National Defense Lee Jye (李傑), Deputy General-Chief-of-Staff Admiral Wang Li-shen (王立申) and Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Navy Lieutenant General Shen Po-chi (申伯之).
Lee was a lieutenant commander when the SS-791 was given to Taiwan and was also the first weapons chief on board the Sea Lion. He later became the third captain of the SS-791.
After new submarines are acquired by the Navy, the Ministry of National Defense will retire the SS-791 and the SS-792. Navy enthusiasts expect the two vessels will be restored after they retire and hope one will be used for training purposes at the Naval Academy while the other will be ported and turned into a museum.
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
RSS