RoCN Ching Chiang (class)

History of the RoCN Ching Chiang (Class)

To support the Taiwan state's offshore defense and related operations, the Republic of China Navy (RoCN) commissioned a brand new corvette - named after the Ching Chiang class in the 1990s of large patrol ships. A total of twelve ships were procured by the group, and the site was built locally by the experienced shipbuilders of CSBC Corporation.

As of this writing (2021), of the ten ships completed, 11 are in active service, with the lead ship RoCN Ching Chiang being decommissioned in February 2021.

The class was built from 1994 to 2000 and has been running contract service since 1994.

These boats displace 580 tons under load, have a length of 201.4 feet, a beam of 31.1 feet, and a draft of up to 9.5 feet. The final mass (draft/height) in particular gives the warship an inherent tactical capability to operate close to the coast where other large warships cannot.

The traditional engine/propulsion scheme allows the vessel to go forward at 25 knots.

There is a crew on board, usually 50 people.

The warship is modest in size, with obvious post-Cold War roots: numerous protrusions are visible throughout the design, including exposed masts, balustrade spans, and gaps throughout the superstructure (very unusual in today's stealth-centric designs) . Her arrangement was very traditional, with movable deck guns located above the forecastle, followed by the viaduct section, the midship shallow smoke funnel and the stern superstructure section. Crossed rocket launchers are located aft.

These ships do not (and cannot) support rotor elements.

The full armament initially consisted of 1 x 20mm Autocannon, 1 x 40mm Anti-Aircraft (AA) Cannon and 1 x HF-1 Anti-Ship Missile Launcher (ASM) ("Xiong Feng I"). However, in a major overhaul in 2012, the ASM system (on some ships only) was replaced by 4 x HF-3 ASM units (aft position above).

The original 40mm anti-aircraft gun was also replaced by the Italian 76mm OTO Melara weapon system, which provided a more powerful ranged strike.

Specification

BASICS

Years of Service

1994

Origins

Taiwan

Status

In service

supplement

50

staff

SHIPBUILDER

CSBC Corporation - Taiwan

Class information

Class

Qingjiang class

Class Size

12

ships

Class

ROCS Qingjiang (PGG-603); ROCS Danjiang (PGG-605); ROCS Qingjiang (PGG-606); ROCS Feng Jiang (PGG-607); ROCS Zeng Jiang (PGG-608); ROCS HD (PGG-608) -609); ROCS Jinjiang (PGG-610); ROCS Jiang Xiang (PGG-611); ROCS Zijiang (PGG-612); ROCS Baoqing (PGG-614); ROCS Jiang Chang (PGG-615); ROCS Chu Jiang (PGG-617)

Carrier

Taiwan

Roles

Offshore Operations

Nearshore activities in support of Allied activities.

Notable Features

Main Turret

The main armament is mounted in the main turret arrangement providing enhanced protection.

Dimensions and Weight

Length

201. 4 feet

61.39m

Ray

31. 1 ft

9.48m

Draft

9.5 feet

2.90m

Shift

580 t

Power and Performance

Installed Power:

Traditional powerplant/propulsion scheme drives 2 x axles aft.

Surface Velocity

25. 0 nodes

(28.8 km/h)

Weapons

Original: 1 x 20mm automatic cannon. 1 x 40mm Anti-Aircraft Gun (AA). 1 x HF-1 Anti-Ship Missile Launcher (ASM). 2012 REFIT (not applicable to all ships of this class): 1 x 76mm OTO Melara deck gun with turret. 1 x 20mm automatic cannon. 4 x HF-3 ASM transmitters.

Aircraft

None.