ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772)
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ROKS ''Cheonan'' (PCC-772) was a of 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 ...
(ROKN), commissioned in 1989. On 26 March 2010, she broke in two and sank near the sea border with
North Korea North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu River, Y ...
, killing 46 sailors. An investigation conducted by an international team of experts from South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Sweden concluded that ''Cheonan'' was sunk by a
torpedo A modern torpedo is an underwater ranged weapon launched above or below the water surface, self-propelled towards a target, and with an explosive warhead designed to detonate either on contact with or in proximity to the target. Historically, su ...
launched by a North Korean ''Yeono''-class miniature submarine.North Korea rebuffs South Korea's evidence on ''Cheonan'' attack
Christian Science Monitor, May 20, 2010.


History


Service history

''Cheonan'' was launched in November 1989 from Korea Tacoma Marine Ind., Ltd.,
Masan Masan is an administrative region of Changwon, a city in the South Gyeongsang Province. It was formerly an independent city from 1949 until 30 June 2010, when it was absorbed to Changwon along with Jinhae. Masan was redistricted as two district ...
, South Korea. The ship's primary mission was coastal patrol, with an emphasis on anti-submarine operations. ''Cheonan'' was one of the ships involved in the
First Battle of Yeonpyeong The Battle of Yeonpyeong (or First Battle of Yeonpyeong) (Korean: 제1 연평해전, ''Je Il(1) Yeonpyeong Haejeon'') took place between the navies of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (North Korea) and the Republic of Korea (South Korea ...
in 1999. It is also known that the ship suffered slight damage on the stern in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong. The ship had been scheduled for decommissioning in 2019.


Sinking, recovery and aftermath


Sinking

On 26 March 2010, an explosion occurred near the rear of ''Cheonan'', causing the ship to break in two. The cause of this explosion was not immediately determined. The 1,200 tonne ship started sinking at 21:20 
local time Local time is the time observed in a specific locality. There is no canonical definition. Originally it was mean solar time, but since the introduction of time zones it is generally the time as determined by the time zone in effect, with daylight s ...
(12:20  UTC) about off the south-west coast of
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 the
Yellow Sea The Yellow Sea is a marginal sea of the Western Pacific Ocean located between mainland China and the Korean Peninsula, and can be considered the northwestern part of the East China Sea. It is one of four seas named after common colour terms ...
. The island is located on the South Korean (ROK) side of the
Northern Limit Line The Northern Limit Line or North Limit Line (NLL) – 북방한계선 (in ROK) – is a disputed maritime demarcation line in the Yellow (West) Sea between the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on the north, and the Republic of Ko ...
, the ''de facto'' boundary dividing South from North Korea (DPRK). The ship had a crew of 104 men at the time of sinking, and a total of 58 crew were rescued. Another 46 crew were unaccounted for. ''Cheonan''s
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
,
Commander Commander (commonly abbreviated as Cmdr.) is a common naval officer rank. Commander is also used as a rank or title in other formal organizations, including several police forces. In several countries this naval rank is termed frigate captain. ...
Choi Won-il, said that the ship broke into two and the stern sank within five minutes after the explosion and while he was still assessing the situation. On 17 April 2010, North Korea denied any involvement in the sinking of ''Cheonan''.


Rescue efforts

Initially six South Korean navy and two South Korean coast guard ships assisted in the rescue as well as aircraft from the
South Korean air force The Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF; ko, 대한민국 공군; RR: ''Daehanminguk Gong-gun''), also known as the ROK Air Force or South Korean Air Force, is the aerial warfare service branch of South Korea, operating under the Ministry of N ...
. It was reported on March 27 that hopes of finding the 46 missing crew alive were fading. Survival time in the water was estimated at around two hours and large waves were hampering rescue attempts. The ship sank in 45 meter deep waters with a small portion of the overturned hull still visible above water. It was expected that it would take up to 20 days to salvage the ship. During the course of the search and rescue effort over 24 military vessels were involved, including at least three US Navy vessels, , , and . On 30 March 2010 it was reported that one South Korean naval diver (ROKN UDT/SEAL CWO Han Ju-ho) had died after losing consciousness whilst searching for survivors and another had been hospitalised. On 3 April 2010, South Korean officials said that a private fishing boat involved in the rescue operations had collided with a
Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...
n freighter, sinking the fishing boat and killing at least two people, with seven reported missing. The same day, the Joint Chiefs of Staff of South Korea said that one body of the 46 missing sailors had been found. Later on 3 April 2010 South Korea called off the rescue operation for the missing sailors, after families of the sailors asked for the operation to be suspended for fear of further casualties among the rescue divers. The military's focus then shifted towards salvage operations, which were predicted to take up to a month to complete.


Recovery

On 15 April 2010, the stern section of the ship was winched from the seabed by a large floating crane, drained of water and placed on a barge for transportation to the
Pyongtaek Pyeongtaek () is a city in Gyeonggi Province, South Korea. Located in the southwestern part of the province, Pyeongtaek was founded as a union of two districts in 940, during the Goryeo dynasty. It was elevated to city status in 1986 and is home to ...
navy base. The same crane raised the bow portion of ''Cheonan'' on 24 April 2010. The salvaged parts of the ship were taken to Pyongtaek navy base for an investigation into the cause of the sinking by both South Korean and foreign experts. The unsalvaged parts were left to break apart.'


Cause of sinking

On 25 April 2010, South Korea's defense minister, Kim Tae-Young, said that the most likely cause of the explosion that sank ''Cheonan'' was a torpedo; his statements were the first time that a South Korean official publicly cited such a cause. Kim said that "A bubble jet caused by a heavy torpedo is thought to be the most likely thing to be blamed, but various other possibilities are also under review." A bubble jet is caused by an underwater explosion which changes the pressure of water, and whose force can cause a ship to break apart. The bubble jet theory was supported by one of the investigators into the incident, who had said that there was no evidence that an explosion had occurred in contact with a ship, and that a non-contact explosion had most likely broken the ship in half. On 20 May 2010, a South Korean-led international commission investigating the sinking of ''Cheonan'' presented its findings, stating that the ship was sunk by a North Korean torpedo attack. The torpedo parts recovered at the site of the explosion by a dredging ship on 15 May, which include 5x5 bladed contra-rotating propellers, propulsion motor and a steering section, were claimed to perfectly match the schematics of the CHT-02D torpedo included in introductory brochures provided to foreign countries by North Korea for export purposes. The markings in
Hangul The Korean alphabet, known as Hangul, . Hangul may also be written as following South Korea's standard Romanization. ( ) in South Korea and Chosŏn'gŭl in North Korea, is the modern official writing system for the Korean language. The let ...
, which read "1번" (or No. 1 in English), found inside the end of the propulsion section were said to have been consistent with markings on a previously obtained North Korean torpedo. However, some (''The Hankyoreh'') have pointed out without the proper reason that in the North, "호" (pronounced "ho") is most often used rather than "번"; and that a North Korean torpedo found seven years ago bears the marking "4호". Russian and Chinese torpedoes are marked in their respective languages. The CHT-02D torpedo manufactured by North Korea utilizes acoustic/wake homing and passive acoustic tracking methods. However, an expert at a South Korean missile manufacturer disagreed with the idea that the submarine alleged by ROK authorities to have shot the torpedo actually has the capability: "Sango class submarines are known to be used by North Korean commandos in infiltrating areas or laying mines, but they apparently do not have an advanced system to guide homing weapons. If a smaller class submarine was involved, there is a bigger question mark." One member of the investigative team, Shin Sang-cheol, who would be summoned on charges of spreading unsubstantiated rumors, publicly expressed doubts by saying "The magnified photo of the evidence showed that the marking was written on the rusted surface. If it were the North who marked it, the marking should have been written on a smooth surface." The Ministry of Defense had earlier tried to remove Shin from the investigative team, saying that "He is not qualified to work as part of the investigation team, as he has been spreading malicious rumors, as well as lacks expertise and has been insincere in his participation in the probe." On 13 September 2010, the final report was issued by JIG which concluded that, "The ''Cheonan'' was split and sunk due to a shockwave and bubble effect generated by the underwater explosion of a torpedo. The detonation location was three meters to port from the center of the gas turbine room and at a depth of 6-9 meters..." North Korea denied that it was responsible for the sinking.
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
dismissed the official scenario presented by South Korea and the United States as not credible. An investigation by the Russian Navy also did not concur with the report. On 9 July 2010, the
United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the Organs of the United Nations, six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international security, international peace and security, recommending the admi ...
made a
Presidential Statement A Presidential Statement is often created when the United Nations Security Council cannot reach consensus or are prevented from passing a resolution by a permanent member's veto A veto is a legal power to unilaterally stop an official action. I ...
condemning the attack but without identifying the attacker.


Museum ship

The ROKS ''Cheonan'' is now a museum ship at the Pyeongtaek Naval Base. It is stationed near the ROKS ''PKM 357'' patrol boat that was sunk in the
Second Battle of Yeonpyeong The Battle of Yeongpyeong (or Second Battle of Yeonpyeong) (Korean: 제2 연평해전, ''Je I(2) Yeonpyeong Haejeon'') was a confrontation at sea between North Korean and South Korean patrol boats along a disputed maritime boundary near Yeonpyeon ...
. File:US Navy 100913-N-4366B-501 Rear Adm. Hyun Sung Um, commander of Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy 2nd Fleet, and Rear Adm. Seung Joon Lee, deputy comman.jpg File:US Navy 100826-N-7478G-231 Officers assigned to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) examine the damage to ROKS Cheonan (PCC 772).jpg File:US Navy 100826-N-7478G-230 Officers assigned to USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) approach ROKS Cheonan (PCC 772).jpg File:U.S. Navy Capt. Rudy Lupton, the commanding officer of USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), and Cmdr. Kirk Knox, the executive officer of Blue Ridge, lay a memorial wreath in front of ROKS Cheonan (PCC 772) in Pyeongtaek 100826-N-EF974-236.jpg File:US Navy 100826-N-7478G-235 Capt. Rudy Lupton examines the bent propellor of ROKS Cheonan (PCC 772).jpg File:US Navy 100826-N-7478G-234 Cmdr. Kirk Knox examines the damage to the propellor shaft of ROKS Cheonan (PCC 772).jpg File:US Navy 110419-N-UH963-138 Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) the Honorable Ray Mabus examines damage to the Republic of Korea Navy corvette ROKS Cheo.jpg File:From left, Cmdr. Kirk Knox, executive officer of U.S. 7th Fleet command ship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19), Cmdr. Tri Lac and Lt. j.g. Kyle Fitzpatrick look at a bent propeller on the Republic of Korea (ROK) corvette 100826-N-EF974-233.jpg File:US Navy 100913-N-4366B-489 Rear Adm. Seung Joon Lee, deputy commander of Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy 2nd Fleet, briefs Adm. Patrick M. Walsh.jpg File:US Navy 100913-N-4366B-475 Rear Adm. Seung Joon Lee, deputy commander of Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy 2nd Fleet, briefs Adm. Patrick M. Walsh,.jpg File:US Navy 100722-N-0000X-002 Lt. Cmdr. Severn Stephens, assigned to Carrier Task Force (CTF) 70,.jpg File:US Navy 100722-N-0000X-003 Capt. Atshushi Tanaka, chief of staff for Carrier Task Force (CTF) 70, embarked aboard the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73),.jpg


Design


Armament

The ship's armament consisted of: * Boeing RGM-84 Harpoon missiles * Two
Otobreda 76 mm The OTO Melara 76 mm gun is a naval gun built and designed by the Italian defence company OTO Melara. It is based on the OTO Melara 76/62C and evolved toward 76/62 SR and 76/62 Strales. The system is compact enough to be installed on re ...
/62 compact guns (OTO Melara) * Two
Bofors 40 mm Bofors 40 mm gun is a name or designation given to two models of 40 mm calibre anti-aircraft guns designed and developed by the Swedish company Bofors: *Bofors 40 mm L/60 gun - developed in the 1930s, widely used in World War II and into the 1990s ...
/70 guns * Six 12.75 in (324 mm)
Mark 46 torpedo The Mark 46 torpedo is the backbone of the United States Navy's lightweight anti-submarine warfare torpedo inventory and is the NATO standard. These aerial torpedo An aerial torpedo (also known as an airborne torpedo or air-dropped torpedo ...
es * Twelve Mark 9
depth charge A depth charge is an anti-submarine warfare (ASW) weapon. It is intended to destroy a submarine by being dropped into the water nearby and detonating, subjecting the target to a powerful and destructive Shock factor, hydraulic shock. Most depth ...
s


Propulsion

''Cheonan'' was powered by a pair of MTU engines, which produced a total of . These engines powered two
propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...
s, which could move the ship at a top speed of .


References


External links


South Korean Navy page on ''Pohang''-class corvettes
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cheonan (Pcc-772) 1989 ships Ships sunk by submarines Maritime incidents in 2010 Pohang-class corvettes Ships built by Hyundai Heavy Industries Group 2010 disasters in South Korea Museum ships in South Korea zh:天安号沉没事件#肇事艦艇