The navy should develop deep-sea rescue capabilities amid preparations to launch a prototype submarine by September next year, Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tsai Shih-ying (蔡適應) said on Friday.
Although the first of the navy’s new auxiliary rescue and salvage vessels is to be completed next year, the ship lacks a large center well, deep submergence rescue vehicle, hypobaric chamber and systems to facilitate deep dives, Tsai told the Liberty Times (the Taipei Times’ sister newspaper).
This means the capabilities of the rescue vessel to conduct submarine rescue missions are extremely limited, and sailors trapped in a stricken submarine would have to wait for extraction by Japanese or US rescue services, he said.
Photo: Liao Chen-huei, Taipei Times
The navy should develop rescue ships that are better than the one being built, he said.
The improvements could be funded by money formerly earmarked to buy Sikorsky MH-60R helicopters from the US, a plan that has been scrapped, he said.
A defense official speaking on condition of anonymity said that the salvage ship was not designed to deal with stricken submarines and its diving bell cannot be used deeper than 91m.
The navy recognizes that the class of vessel needs improvements, and modifications would be implemented according to a five-year reconfiguration plan as set out in this year’s defense budget, the official said.
Until rescue ships with the upgrades are built, Taiwan would have to rely on foreign partners should disaster strike, the official said.
Submarine rescues require a high level of technical sophistication that goes beyond having the right hardware, said Shu Hsiao-huang (舒孝煌), an analyst at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research.
“Installing emergency communications devices and escape equipment are some of the options that can be considered,” Shu said.
Su Tzu-yun (蘇紫雲), a senior analyst at the government-funded institute, said that the limited deep-sea rescue capability of the ship being built was probably caused by diplomatic issues or budget constraints.
In the short term, the navy should learn from foreign experiences of submarine rescue operations and make better use of dual-use technology developed by oil well operators, deep-sea salvagers and others in the private sector, Su said.
Additionally, the navy should consider utilizing commercial saturation diving technology, which enables divers to operate as deep as 500m if supported by sonar, underwater remotely operated vehicles and diving bells, he said.
Such divers could be military trained or contracted from the private sector, he said, adding that rescue and escape capabilities are crucial to the morale of submarine crews.
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