Shipbuilder CSBC Corp, Taiwan has denied an Internet rumor that the nation’s first indigenous submarine prototype showed signs of hull deformation during initial sea trials last week.
In a statement last week, CSBC said a protrusion on the port side of the bow of the Hai Kun (海鯤), or “Narwhal,” housed the submarine’s passive ranging sonar system, and was not a deformation as some Internet users have said.
The sonar dome protects the sonar system, and the protrusion is due to the installation of high-precision electronic sonar components inside the dome, CSBC said.
Photo: Lee Hui-chou, Taipei Times
CSBC said it is working closely with the navy and specialists in the area to uphold the highest standards and ensure the Hai Kun passes all tests before delivery.
The clarification came after several social media posts questioned if an uneven section of the Hai Kun’s port-side bow in a photograph of the prototype during its first sea trial on Tuesday last week outside the Port of Kaohsiung was a sign of hull deformation.
An unnamed national security source familiar with information security yesterday said that such online posts raising false accusations targeting the submarine and its first sea trial began only hours after the prototype completed the first day of sea trials on Tuesday last week.
The posts were believed to be part of a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) campaign to spread military disinformation targeting Taiwan, they said.
The CCP’s campaign has utilized fake social media accounts, and conspired with “Voice of the Strait” — a Chinese state-run radio station operated by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army targeting Taiwan — to raise questions about the submarine prototype and discredit Taiwan’s military achievements online, they said.
The source called on Taiwanese to be aware of such CCP disinformation campaigns, which they said are expected to proliferate in the coming months as the indigenous submarine program advances.
The Hai Kun last week completed a series of tests involving its propulsion, rudder, electricity, communication and navigation systems during its first day of floating navigation tests, CSBC said in a news release on Wednesday last week.
The shipbuilder said it would fine-tune the systems based on the test results before moving on to the next stage of the submarine’s sea trials that would require the vessel to be fully submerged at increasing depths.
The three stages of a submarine’s sea trials are floating navigation, shallow depth testing and gradual depth increase testing, it said.
Each of the three stages would feature several trials and adjustments to the submarine’s systems.
The beginning of sea trials last week came after the prototype completed harbor acceptance tests, despite suffering from several delays.
According to the original timeline set by the Ministry of National Defense, the Hai Kun’s sea trials were supposed to begin in April and be completed by Sept. 30 to meet a November delivery deadline.
Navy Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Chiu Chun-jung (邱俊榮) said that despite the delayed start to the sea trials, the contractual deadline for the submarine’s delivery remained unchanged.
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