The navy said yesterday it is extending its search for three submariners by another 72 hours after a large wave swept them off overboard on Thursday during a training mission.
The navy said it would not give up on any chances and is continuing dispatching helicopters and ships to look for master chief petty officer surnamed Lin (林) and two petty officers surnamed Yen (顏) and Chang (張).
The three submariners were serving on board the Hai Hu “Sea Tiger, 海虎” when they were swept into the sea while attempting to retrieve a rescue buoy south of Liuqiu Township (琉球), Pingtung County, at about noon on Thursday.
Photo: Taipei Times file
Three others swept into the water — a lieutenant commander surnamed Chen (陳), a lieutenant surnamed Tsung (叢) and a petty officer surnamed Lee (李) — were pulled from the water conscious not long after the incident, the navy said.
The statement was released in response to media queries following the elapsing of initial 72 hours — also known as the “golden time” for search and rescue missions — since the incident.
So far the rescue mission for the three missing crew members has only managed to find the rescue buoy the crew had earlier been trying to retrive as well as one life jacket from the submarine, the navy said.
Following a visit to the three rescued submariners at a military hospital in Kaohsiung on Friday, Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng (邱國正) apologized to the nation for another accident within the armed forces.
Citing initial investigations, Chiu said all the six submariners who went overboard were wearing life jackets and had been tethered to the deck by a safety harness, which was supposed to prevent them from going overboard.
However, a buckle attaching the harnesses to a safety line deformed, probably due to weather conditions, resulting in the crew members falling into the sea, Chiu said.
The minister pledged to conduct a full review and reform to prevent similar incidents in the future.
The Hai Hu is one of two Chien Lung-class “Sword Dragon” submarines Taiwan purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s, the other being Hai Lung (“Sea Dragon,” 海龍).
Taiwan also possesses two vintage World War II submarines purchased from the US in the 1970s, but they are now used exclusively for training purposes.
The nation is building its indigenous submarines to replace the aging fleet and the launch of a prototype the Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal,” was held in September.
The construction of domestic submarines means Taiwan is to have a total of three combat-ready submarines by 2025, and four by 2027, according to the navy.
Considering that most countries issue more than five denominations of banknotes, the central bank has decided to redesign all five denominations, the bank said as it prepares for the first major overhaul of the banknotes in more than 24 years. Central bank Governor Yang Chin-lung (楊金龍) is expected to report to the Legislative Yuan today on the bank’s operations and the redesign’s progress. The bank in a report sent to the legislature ahead of today’s meeting said it had commissioned a survey on the public’s preferences. Survey results showed that NT$100 and NT$1,000 banknotes are the most commonly used, while NT$200 and NT$2,000
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the first case of a new COVID-19 subvariant — BA.3.2 — in a 10-year-old Singaporean girl who had a fever upon arrival in Taiwan and tested positive for the disease. The girl left Taiwan on March 20 and the case did not have a direct impact on the local community, it said. The WHO added the BA.3.2 strain to its list of Variants Under Monitoring in December last year, but this was the first imported case of the COVID-19 variant in Taiwan, CDC Deputy Director-General Lin Ming-cheng (林明誠) said. The girl arrived in Taiwan on
ANNUAL EVENT: Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in Daan Park, with an event zone operating from 10am to 6pm This year’s Taipei Floral Picnic is to be held at Daan Park today and tomorrow, featuring an exclusive Pokemon Go event, a themed food market, a coffee rave picnic area and stage performances, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said yesterday. Two massive Pokemon balloons are to be set up in the park as attractions, with an exclusive event zone operating from 10am to 6pm, it said. Participants who complete designated tasks on-site would have a chance to receive limited-edition souvenirs, it added. People could also try the newly launched game Pokemon Pokopia in the trial area, the department said. Three PokeStops are
South Korea is planning to revise its controversial electronic arrival card, a step Taiwanese officials said prompted them to hold off on planned retaliatory measures, a South Korean media report said yesterday. A Yonhap News Agency report said that the South Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs is planning to remove the “previous departure place” and “next destination” fields from its e-arrival card system. The plan, reached after interagency consultations, is under review and aims to simplify entry procedures and align the electronic form with the paper version, a South Korean ministry official said. The fields — which appeared only on the electronic form
RSS