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.
CAUTION: Based on intelligence from the nation’s security agencies, MOFA has cautioned Taiwanese travelers about heightened safety risks in China-friendly countries The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday urged Taiwanese to be aware of their safety when traveling abroad, especially in countries that are friendly to China. China in June last year issued 22 guidelines that allow its courts to try in absentia and sentence to death so-called “diehard” Taiwanese independence activists, even though Chinese courts have no jurisdiction in Taiwan. Late last month, a senior Chinese official gave closed-door instructions to state security units to implement the guidelines in countries friendly to China, a government memo and a senior Taiwan security official said, based on information gathered by Taiwan’s intelligence agency. The
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said yesterday that it is looking to hire 8,000 people this year, at a time when the tech giant is expanding production capacity to maintain its lead over competitors. To attract talent, TSMC would launch a large-scale recruitment campaign on campuses across Taiwan, where a newly recruited engineer with a master’s degree could expect to receive an average salary of NT$2.2 million (US$60,912), which is much higher than the 2023 national average of NT$709,000 for those in the same category, according to government statistics. TSMC, which accounted for more than 60 percent
Tung Tzu-hsien (童子賢), a Taiwanese businessman and deputy convener of the nation’s National Climate Change Committee, said yesterday that “electrical power is national power” and nuclear energy is “very important to Taiwan.” Tung made the remarks, suggesting that his views do not align with the country’s current official policy of phasing out nuclear energy, at a forum organized by the Taiwan People’s Party titled “Challenges and Prospects of Taiwan’s AI Industry and Energy Policy.” “Taiwan is currently pursuing industries with high added- value and is developing vigorously, and this all requires electricity,” said the chairman
The National Immigration Agency (NIA) said yesterday that it will revoke the dependent-based residence permit of a Chinese social media influencer who reportedly “openly advocated for [China’s] unification through military force” with Taiwan. The Chinese national, identified by her surname Liu (劉), will have her residence permit revoked in accordance with Article 14 of the “Measures for the permission of family- based residence, long-term residence and settlement of people from the Mainland Area in the Taiwan Area,” the NIA said in a news release. The agency explained it received reports that Liu made “unifying Taiwan through military force” statements on her online
RSS