Taiwan-made landing platform dock Yushan, a naval warship used to transport landing craft such as amphibious vehicles, is scheduled to enter service in June after it completed all required tests, a military source said yesterday.
The 10,600-tonne amphibious multi-mission vessel has completed the required tests and its crew have been trained, including familiarizing them with the landing platform dock’s operations, conducting supply missions and transporting landing craft mechanized, landing craft utility and missile vehicles, the anonymous source said.
A ship commissioning ceremony would be held next month to put the vessel into active service, they added.
Photo: CNA
Christened and launched in April 2021, the Yushan, named after the nation’s highest peak, is the first of four indigenous landing platform docks being built by local shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan for the navy.
It was delivered to the navy in October last year.
The navy held demonstrations of the Yushan at its home port in Kaohsiung in January to showcase its ability to transport Hsiung Feng II long-range missile batteries as well as armed personnel and utility carriers.
Using the Yushan, missiles such as the long-range Hsiung Feng II batteries can be deployed anywhere around Taiwan and its offshore islands, improving the military’s combat effectiveness.
Once in service, the Yushan would replace the existing Hsu Hai dock landing ship, which first entered service with the US Navy as the USS Pensacola in 1971, before being transferred to Taiwan in 1999.
The Yushan, with a length of 153m and a beam of 23m, has a maximum speed of 20 knots and a range of 11,265km. It can carry several AAV7 amphibious armed personnel carriers and 673 troops.
It can also be fitted with an MK-75 76mm gun, two MK-15 Phalanx close-in weapons systems and two TC-2N missile systems that can be loaded with a maximum of 32 TC-2N missiles.
The ship also has two hangars, which can accommodate two military helicopters at a time, the military said.
The Yushan would be responsible for transporting supplies and personnel to the country’s outlying islands, the military said.
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