A Knox-class frigate, also known as the Chi Yang-class (濟陽級) in Taiwan, which was purchased from the US and has been in use by the navy for nearly three decades, is to be decommissioned soon, a military source said on Saturday.
The Lan Yang (蘭陽艦), a Chi Yang-class frigate belonging to the Republic of China Navy that began service in Taiwan in 1995, is to be decommissioned around the middle of this month in a ceremony in Kaohsiung, the unnamed source said.
The decommissioned frigate would then be stripped of its weapon and radar systems before being used by the navy for target practice, the source said.
Photo: Taipei Times
The Lan Yang is the third Chi Yang-class frigate to be decommissioned after being used by the navy for about 30 years. It was formerly in service in the US as the USS Joseph Hewes.
In the 1990s, the US agreed to transfer eight Knox-class frigates to Taiwan. They were later reclassified as Chi Yang-class frigates before beginning their service in the navy between 1993 and 1999.
The navy previously retired two Chi Yang-class frigates, the Chi Yang and Hai Yang, in May 2015, because the navy had acquired two new frigates from the US, and it is too costly to keep the aging Knox-class frigates operational.
No plans have been announced for decommissioning the remaining five Chi Yang-class frigates in service.
The inspection equipment and data transmission system for new robotic dogs that Taipei is planning to use for sidewalk patrols were developed by a Taiwanese company, the city’s New Construction Office said today, dismissing concerns that the China-made robots could pose a security risk. The city is bringing in smart robotic dogs to help with sidewalk inspections, Taipei Deputy Mayor Lee Ssu-chuan (李四川) said on Facebook. Equipped with a panoramic surveillance system, the robots would be able to automatically flag problems and easily navigate narrow sidewalks, making inspections faster and more accurate, Lee said. By collecting more accurate data, they would help Taipei
TAKING STOCK: The USMC is rebuilding a once-abandoned airfield in Palau to support large-scale ground operations as China’s missile range grows, Naval News reported The US Marine Corps (USMC) is considering new sites for stockpiling equipment in the West Pacific to harden military supply chains and enhance mobility across the Indo-Pacific region, US-based Naval News reported on Saturday. The proposed sites in Palau — one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — and Australia would enable a “rapid standup of stored equipment within a year” of the program’s approval, the report said, citing documents published by the USMC last month. In Palau, the service is rebuilding a formerly abandoned World War II-era airfield and establishing ancillary structures to support large-scale ground operations “as China’s missile range and magazine
A 72-year-old man in Kaohsiung was sentenced to 40 days in jail after he was found having sex with a 67-year-old woman under a slide in a public park on Sunday afternoon. At 3pm on Sunday, a mother surnamed Liang (梁) was with her child at a neighborhood park when they found the man, surnamed Tsai (蔡), and woman, surnamed Huang (黃), underneath the slide. Liang took her child away from the scene, took photographs of the two and called the police, who arrived and arrested the couple. During questioning, Tsai told police that he had met Huang that day and offered to
BETTER SERVICE QUALITY: From Nov. 10, tickets with reserved seats would only be valid for the date, train and route specified on the ticket, THSRC said Starting on Nov. 10, high-speed rail passengers with reserved seats would be required to exchange their tickets to board an earlier train. Passengers with reserved seats on a specific train are currently allowed to board earlier trains on the same day and sit in non-reserved cars, but as this is happening increasingly often, and affecting quality of travel and ticket sales, Taiwan High-Speed Rail Corp (THSRC) announced that it would be canceling the policy on Nov. 10. It is one of several new measures launched by THSRC chairman Shih Che (史哲) to improve the quality of service, it said. The company also said