The

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy in ...

was established on November 11, 1945, as the Marine Defense Group (later became the Korean Coast Guard) after

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

was liberated from the

Empire of Japan The also known as the Japanese Empire or Imperial Japan, was a historical nation-state and great power that existed from the Meiji Restoration in 1868 until the enactment of the post-World War II 1947 constitution and subsequent fo ...

on August 15, 1945. The Korean Coast Guard became the Republic of Korea Navy after the

South Korean government The Government of South Korea is the union government of the South Korea, Republic of Korea, created by the Constitution of South Korea as the executive, legislative and judicial authority of the republic. The president acts as the head of sta ...

was established on August 15, 1948. Since its inception and until the 1990s, the Republic of Korea Navy had acquired about 150 former

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

ships. As

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and sharing a Korean Demilitarized Zone, land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed ...

's economy grew, the ROK Navy was able to build larger and better equipped fleets with local shipbuilders. The ROK Navy employs the U.S. Navy-style letter based

hull classification symbols The United States Navy, United States Coast Guard, and United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) use a hull classification symbol (sometimes called hull code or hull number) to identify their ships by type and by ind ...

to designate the types of its ships and

hull number Hull number is a serial identification number given to a boat or ship. For the military, a lower number implies an older vessel. For civilian use, the HIN is used to trace the boat's history. The precise usage varies by country and type. United S ...

s to uniquely identify its vessels (e.g. DDH 975). The names are that of the historical figures, Navy heroes, provinces, cities, counties, peaks, lakes, islands, and birds. The

Chief of Naval Operations The chief of naval operations (CNO) is the professional head of the United States Navy. The position is a statutory office () held by an admiral who is a military adviser and deputy to the secretary of the Navy. In a separate capacity as a memb ...

selects the names of ships. The

ship prefix A ship prefix is a combination of letters, usually abbreviations, used in front of the name of a civilian or naval ship that has historically served numerous purposes, such as identifying the vessel's mode of propulsion, purpose, or ownership/n ...

for all the commissioned ROK Navy ship is ROKS (Republic of Korea Ship) when the names of ships are written in English.

Ships acquired through indigenous warship building

Submarines

''Dolgorae'' (SSM) means the

dolphin A dolphin is an aquatic mammal within the infraorder Cetacea. Dolphin species belong to the families Delphinidae (the oceanic dolphins), Platanistidae (the Indian river dolphins), Iniidae (the New World river dolphins), Pontoporiidae (the ...

in Korean.

Frigates

Frigates (FF) were named after provinces and large cities that names previous ROK Navy destroyers had. File:110418-N-VN741-001 (5640888272).jpg, ROKS ''Seoul'' (FF 952)

Corvettes

Corvettes (PCC) were named after cities. File:2015.10.19. 2015대한민국해군 관함식 2차 해상사열 및 훈련시범 21692209863 0310446b9e o.jpg, ROKS ''Jinju'' (PCC 763) File:2010.4.24 천안함 함수 인양작업 (7445518142).jpg, Salvaging ROKS ''Cheonan'' off

Baengnyeong Island Baengnyeong Island (sometimes spelled Baekryeong; ) is a , long and wide island in Ongjin County, Incheon, South Korea, located near the Northern Limit Line. The 1953 Korean Armistice Agreement which ended the Korean War specified that the fiv ...

in 2010

Patrol craft

Patrol craft were named for birds.

''Baekgu'' class

''Baekgu'' means the

seagull Gulls, or colloquially seagulls, are seabirds of the family Laridae in the suborder Lari. They are most closely related to the terns and skimmers and only distantly related to auks, and even more distantly to waders. Until the 21st century, m ...

in Korean. ''Geomdoksuri'' means the

golden eagle The golden eagle (''Aquila chrysaetos'') is a bird of prey living in the Northern Hemisphere. It is the most widely distributed species of eagle. Like all eagles, it belongs to the family Accipitridae. They are one of the best-known bird of p ...

in Korean.

''Chamsuri'' class

''Gireogi'' means the

goose A goose ( : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and '' Branta'' (the black geese). Some other birds, mostly related to the ...

in Korean. ''Chamsuri'' means the

sea eagle A sea eagle or fish eagle (also called erne or ern, mostly in reference to the white-tailed eagle) is any of the birds of prey in the genus ''Haliaeetus'' in the bird of prey family Accipitridae. Taxonomy and evolution The genus ''Haliaeetus'' ...

in Korean. File:ROKS PKM-279 in Seogwipo Harbor 20140606.JPG, ROKS ''Chamsuri 279'' (PKM 279) File:PKM 357 at the War Memorial of Korea, 23 March 2011.jpg, Replica of ROKS ''Chamsuri 357'' at War Memorial of Korea

''Jebi'' class and ''Doksuri 11'' class

''Jebi'' (PK) means the

swallow The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...

in Korean. ''Doksuri'' (FB) means the

vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...

in Korean.

Amphibious warfare ships

''Solgae'' (LSF) means the

black kite The black kite (''Milvus migrans'') is a medium-sized bird of prey in the family Accipitridae, which also includes many other diurnal raptors. It is thought to be the world's most abundant species of Accipitridae, although some populations have ...

in Korean.

Auxiliary ships

''Dadohae'' (ASL) means an archipelago in Korean. ''Sincheonji'' (AGS) means a new world in Korean. ''Mulgae'' (LCU) means the

fur seal Fur seals are any of nine species of pinnipeds belonging to the subfamily Arctocephalinae in the family '' Otariidae''. They are much more closely related to sea lions than true seals, and share with them external ears (pinnae), relatively lon ...

in Korean.

Ships acquired after the Korean War

After the Korean War, most of the ships acquired under the terms of the Security Assistance Program based on the "Agreement between the Government of the Republic of Korea and the Government of the United States of America concerning the Loan of American Vessels". A total of 109 ships acquired: 3 DD, 9 DD (FRAM), 3 DE, 6 APD, 3 PCE/MSF, 4 PCEC, 4 PCE, 1 PCE (AGP), 3 PC, 1 PB (PT), 9 PB, 9 FB, 4 SB, 9 LST, 1 LSMR, 12 LSM, 3 MSC(O), 8 MSC, 2 ATS, 2 ARS, 2 ATA, 1 ARL, 2 AOG, 1 AO, 1 YO, 4 AKL, 1 LCU, 1 MSB

Destroyers

Destroyers (DD, DE, APD) were named after provinces and large cities, with the exceptions of ''Chungmu'' (named after Admiral Yi Sunshin), ''Asan'' (Admiral Yi's hometown), and ''Ungpo'' (named for Admiral Yi's Battle of Ungpo). File:DD916 Jeonbuk 1.JPG, ROKS ''Jeonbuk'' (DD 916) File:1956년 호위 구축함 인수 (7438440952).jpg, ROKS ''Gyeonggi'' (DE 71) and ROKS ''Gangwon'' (DE 72)

Patrol vessels

PCEs were named for places related with Admiral Yi Sunshin's battles, with the exception of ''Geojin'' (named fo
Battle of Geojin
in 1960). PCs were named for mountains. ''Olppaemi'' (PB) means the

owl Owls are birds from the order Strigiformes (), which includes over 200 species of mostly solitary and nocturnal birds of prey typified by an upright stance, a large, broad head, binocular vision, binaural hearing, sharp talons, and feathers a ...

. ''Doksuri'' (FB) means the

in Korean. ''Boramae'' (SB) means the

falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...

in Korean. File:1955년 중형경비함 인수 (7438441160).jpg, ROKS ''Noryang'' (PCEC 51)

Amphibious warfare ships

LSTs were named for mountains and mountain peaks. LSMR was named for a town by the sea. LSMs were named for islands. File:ROKS Gyebong.JPEG, ROKS ''Gyebong'' (LST 675) File:DN-SD-03-13098.JPEG, ROKS ''Suyeong'' (LST 677) File:ROKS Gadeok..JPEG, ROKS ''Gadeok'' (LSM 653)

Mine warfare ships

Minesweepers (MSC) were named for towns.

Auxiliary ships

ATSs and ARSs were named for cities with an industrial complex. ATAs were named for mountains near

Seoul Seoul (; ; ), officially known as the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea.Before 1972, Seoul was the ''de jure'' capital of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) as stated iArticle 103 ...

. ARL was named for a town. AOGs and AOs were named for lakes, with the exception of ''Baegyeon''. AKLs were named for port towns and later for bays (''Cheonsu'', ''Gwangyang'', ''Yeongil''). ''Mulgae'' (LCU) means the

in Korean. File:Republic of Korea (ROK) salvage and rescue ship ROKS Gwangyang (ATS 28).jpg, ROKS ''Gwangyang'' (ATS 28)

Ships acquired before and during the Korean War

The Republic of Korea Navy was established as the Marine Defense Group on November 11, 1945. In June 1946, the Marine Defense Group became the Korean Coast Guard, and officially recognized by the

United States Army Military Government in Korea The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the Southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 8 September 1945 to 15 August 1948. The country during this period was plagued with political and eco ...

. The Korean Coast Guard acquired 36 patrol craft (mainly ex- IJN and

USN The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

minecraft ''Minecraft'' is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being ...

) through the Military Government. In October 1949, the ROK Navy purchased a 600-ton submarine chaser, the former USS ''PC-823'', which was renamed as ROKS ''Baekdusan'' (PC 701) and became "the first significant warship of the newly independent nation". The Navy purchased three additional ''PC-461''-class

submarine chaser A submarine chaser or subchaser is a small naval vessel that is specifically intended for anti-submarine warfare. Many of the American submarine chasers used in World War I found their way to Allied nations by way of Lend-Lease in World War II. ...

s before the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

, which began on 25 June 1950 when North Korea invaded South Korea. A total of 76 ships acquired: 5 PF, 6 PC, 4 PCS, 4 PT, 2 GB, 2 PG, 5 LST, 4 LSSL, 6 LCI, 18 YMS, 11 JMS, 5 AKL, 2 AO, 1 YO, 1 LT

Frigates

Frigates (PF) were named for rivers. File:ROKS Apnok (62) in 1951.jpg, ROKS ''Amnokgang'' (PF 62) File:ROKS Imchin.jpg, ROKS ''Imjingang'' (PF 66)

Patrol vessels

PCs were named for mountains. PCSs were named for planets. PTs were named for birds. ''Chungmugong'' class (PG) was named after Admiral Yi Sunshin. File:ROKS Chiri San 1.jpg, ROKS ''Jirisan'' (PC 704) File:HN-SN-98-07196.JPEG, ROK Navy personnel acquiring PT boats in 1952

Amphibious warfare ships

LSTs were named for mountains, with the exception of ''Andong''. LSSLs were named for bays. LCIs were named for cities.

Mine warfare ships

Minesweepers (YMS) were named for cities, counties and towns and mountains. Minelayers (JMS) were named for cities, counties, mountains, rivers, and a planet. File:ROKS YMS-516 explosion 1.jpg, ROKS ''Gongju'' (YMS 516) blown up by mine off

Wonsan Wŏnsan (), previously known as Wŏnsanjin (), Port Lazarev, and Genzan (), is a port city and naval base located in Kangwŏn Province, North Korea, along the eastern side of the Korean Peninsula, on the Sea of Japan and the provincial capital. ...

in 1950

Auxiliary ships

AKLs were named for port towns. AOs were named for lakes. YO was named for a waterfall. ATA was named for a mountain near

Notes

1. Hull number: The ROK Navy does not use the number '4' when assigning hull numbers to their ships since ROKS ''Jirisan'' (PC 704; formerly USS ''PC-810''), during the

, struck a mine and sank in December 1951, resulting in death of all sailors aboard. Currently only the hull numbers of the mine layers and submarine tender end with number '0'. The hull numbers of the submarines start with the number '0'.
2. Romanization of Ship names: Romanization is according to

Revised Romanization of Korean Revised Romanization of Korean () is the official Korean language romanization system in South Korea. It was developed by the National Academy of the Korean Language from 1995 and was released to the public on 7 July 2000 by South Korea's Min ...

(adopted in 2000), with exceptions of personal names. Names of ships commissioned before 2000 might have been romanized according to

McCune–Reischauer McCune–Reischauer romanization () is one of the two most widely used Korean language romanization systems. A modified version of McCune–Reischauer was the official romanization system in South Korea until 2002, when it was replaced by the Re ...

. Examples of changes ( M-R → RR): Chinhae →

Jinhae Jinhae-gu (Hangul: 진해구, Hanja: 鎭海區) is a district in Changwon City, South Korea. This region is served by the Korean National Railroad, and is famous for its annual cherry blossom festival every spring. The city front is on a shelter ...

; Kangnung →

Gangneung Gangneung () is a municipal city in the province of Gangwon-do, on the east coast of South Korea. It has a population of 213,658 (as of 2017).Gangneung City (2003)Population & Households. Retrieved January 14, 2006. Gangneung is the economic ...

; Kimpo →

Gimpo Gimpo () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. It borders Incheon, with which it shares the South Korean side of the Han River estuary, as well as Seoul and the lesser cities of Paju and Goyang. North Korea is across the Han River. The cu ...

; Kyongju →

Gyeongju Gyeongju ( ko, 경주, ), historically known as ''Seorabeol'' ( ko, 서라벌, ), is a coastal city in the far southeastern corner of North Gyeongsang Province in South Korea. It is the second largest city by area in the province after Andong, ...

; Pusan →

Busan Busan (), officially known as is South Korea's most populous city after Seoul, with a population of over 3.4 million inhabitants. Formerly romanized as Pusan, it is the economic, cultural and educational center of southeastern South Korea, w ...

; Taegu →

Daegu Daegu (, , literally 'large hill', 대구광역시), formerly spelled Taegu and officially known as the Daegu Metropolitan City, is a city in South Korea. It is the third-largest urban agglomeration in South Korea after Seoul and Busan; it is ...

.
3. Delivery date: The date when the ROK Navy acquires a ship. ^a: Hull number changed on 1978-06-01

References

External links

Republic of Korea Navy official website (Korean)(English)

NavSource Naval History

GlobalSecurity.org

Haze Gray & Underway: World Navies Today {{DEFAULTSORT:Active Republic of Korea Navy ships South Korean military-related lists

Korea, South South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its east ...

Ships acquired through indigenous warship building

Submarines

Frigates

Corvettes

Patrol craft

''Baekgu'' class

''Chamsuri'' class

''Jebi'' class and ''Doksuri 11'' class

Amphibious warfare ships

Auxiliary ships

Ships acquired after the Korean War

Destroyers

Patrol vessels

Amphibious warfare ships

Mine warfare ships

Auxiliary ships

Ships acquired before and during the Korean War

Frigates

Patrol vessels

Amphibious warfare ships

Mine warfare ships

Auxiliary ships

See also

Notes

References

External links