Taiwan indigenous submarine faces 3rd day of sea acceptance tests
台灣國產潛艦進行第三天海上驗收測試
| TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine was greeted by retired officers waving banners and flags as it headed out to sea for the third day of sea acceptance tests, reports said Thursday.
After completing harbor acceptance tests in Kaohsiung Port, the Narwhal set out to sea for the first time on June 17, almost two months later than initially planned. A second sea journey took place on June 26. As the submarine set out at 8 a.m. Thursday, former members of the Navy and Air Force waved banners with words of encouragement for the 256th Submarine Squadron and for the SS-711, the hull number designating the Narwhal, the Liberty Times reported. They said they wanted the submarine crew and the staff at shipbuilder CSBC Corporation, Taiwan, to be aware of their support. A CSBC ship and a speedboat carrying Marines accompanied the submarine on its test. According to observers on shore, the Narwhal has not performed any diving tests yet. There are three test phases, with the submarine sailing along the surface, diving to a limited depth, and diving deeper, CSBC said. Each phase takes a different amount of time, with satisfactory results necessary before improvements and the start of the next phase. The Navy wants the sea acceptance tests to wrap up in September, with the commissioning taking place in November. |
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| Matthew Strong Taiwan News, Staff Writer | |
| 2025-07-03 |
