Militarymedia.net - South Korea - As one of the countries in Asia that operates a large number of submarines (18 units), the South Korean Navy (ROK) certainly has a submarine rescue ship, namely the ROKS Cheonghaejin (ASR 21) which has been operating since 1995. ROKS Cheonghaejin himself already has experience in rescue operations for the North Korean (North Korea) -Yugo Class submarine in 1998 and in diving operations to retrieve the bodies of South Korean sailors on the Chamsuri Class patrol boat that sank in a firefight with a North Korean warship in 2002.
However, due to its aging, ROKS Cheonghaejin, which weighs 4,300 tons, is planned to be retired in 2022. In exchange, the Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), an agency under the South Korean Ministry of Defense, has awarded a contract worth US $ 392 million in 2018. to Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME) to design and build a new submarine rescue ship called the auxiliary submarine rescue ship (ASR-II). It said ASR-II would be handed over to the South Korean Navy in 2022.
Well, as a submarine rescue ship, of course, it is equipped with sophisticated equipment and equipment to carry out diving and rescue in the deep sea. What is meant is none other than the deep sea specialist rescue submarine - DSRV (Deep Submerge Rescue Vehicle).
And for rides with special capabilities, DSME has partnered with James Fisher Defense (JFD) from England to provide DSRV. The new type of DSRV for the South Korean Navy comes from a third generation SSRV design recently supplied by JFD to the Indian Navy. Reportedly this DSRV has been designed to maximize battery capacity and operational endurance. This ensures minimal time spent on recharging the battery, allowing DSRV to be deployed faster in the event of an incident.
According to the JFD, the DSRV for South Korea is designed to operate up to a depth of 500 meters. Unlike the previous model, the new DSRV will be launched and restored from the ASR-II via an 'moonpool' in the middle of the ship. The moonpool model on a submarine rescue ship makes a submarine rescue operation possible when the wave height on the surface reaches four meters.
Before being delivered by the JFD in 2021, it is planned that the DSRV will undergo a comprehensive series of tests and trials including factory, port and sea acceptance trials. JFD will also provide training and support.
The delivery of the full mockup is part of the contract for the design and manufacture of a state-of-the-art DSRV, where the mockup aims to ensure the highest standards of safety for the submarine, ensure component capability and compatibility with rescue vessels before the contract is completed. With the DSRV mockup, DSME can now carry out factory acceptance tests (FATS) and harbor acceptance trials (HATS), launch systems and system introductions to operators.
Previously JFD had supplied the DSAR (Deep Search and Rescue) 6 Class for the Singapore Navy. The DSAR 6 is equipped with integrated skirts and the DSAR 6 has the lightest weight in the DSRV class, which is 22.5 tons and is said to be relatively easy to move by air transportation (via the C-17 Globemaster). Singapore's DSAR 6, which is the storefront for the MV Swift Rescue, is capable of diving to a maximum depth of 500 meters, even under certain conditions, the depth limit can reach up to 700 meters.
