Reported about 1 year ago
Kuo Hongzhang, before 8:00 PM on June 22, 2024, apart from selling the 633 Type (NATO reporting name Romeo, referred to as R-Class) diesel-electric submarine to China in the late 1950s, the Soviet Union also authorized China to produce the R-Class diesel-electric submarine in the 1960s, modified by China to the 033 Type, with a total production of 84 ships, becoming the main force of China's submarine force at that time. A large submarine, identified as the Chinese 094 'Jin-Class' nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine (SSBN), was discovered near Kinmen waters by fishermen in the morning of June 18th while fishing, sparking discussions. Chinese nuclear submarines have been found passing through the waters between Kinmen and Xiamen by floating in the past, with media reports in 2021. However, the shallow depth of the Taiwan Strait makes submarine operations very unfavorable, leading to Chinese submarines being hunted by Taiwanese navy sea and air patrols outside Anping and Zouying seas, ultimately being allowed to escape. The Taiwan Strait is about 300 kilometers long, with an average depth of about 60 meters, making it difficult for submarines to hide, as the most crucial aspect of submarines is to hide their movements underwater to unleash their element of surprise and deterrence, thus, neither side wishes for submarine forces to linger in the Taiwan Strait for too long. Especially for large strategic submarines like the 094, with a wide diameter of 13 meters, the reported location where the 094 submarine was found had a depth of only 50 meters, making it challenging and risky to navigate underwater due to the risk of touching the seabed or colliding with underwater debris, significantly increasing navigation risks. The Chinese 094 nuclear-powered strategic missile submarine also passed through the Taiwan Strait last year, approaching the Chinese territorial waters, usually for routine maintenance needs. Although naval forces from various countries are aware that the Taiwan Strait is not suitable for submarine navigation and operations, the Taiwanese military has records of at least two instances of sea and air hunting of Chinese submarines, entangling Chinese submarines for a prolonged period of time. Despite not deploying live weapons such as deep-sea bombs or firing anti-submarine rockets, simply using sonar to monitor the movements incapacitated the Chinese submarine crew significantly. During President Lee Teng-hui's term, the first push for 'National Ship, National Build' was initiated, succeeding the aging first-class Sun ships with the Perry-class missile frigate design authorized by the United States, leading to the successful production of the first batch of missile frigates. However, due to US policy restrictions at the time, the successful class ships did not have a towed array sonar to detect submarines, prompting Taiwan to procure nine Knox-class ships through lease agreements from 1991 onwards. The naval successful missile frigate Guangming (hull number 1105) launched chaff during the Han Guang 38 exercise on July 26, 2022. Concerning airborne anti-submarine detection capability, it is crucial for modern anti-submarine warfare success. During the same period, the Navy originally sought the US SH-60 anti-submarine helicopter derived from the UH-60 Black Hawk but due to restrictions such as the US-China August 17th Communique, the US sold Taiwan the commercial model S-70C anti-submarine variant instead, known as the S-70C(M)-1, equipped with a towed sonar. These three main weapon systems, along with the Hai Lung and Hai Hu diesel-electric submarines, formed the core of the Taiwan Navy's anti-submarine warfare capabilities in the 1990s. In 1994, the Chinese Romeo-class diesel-electric submarine that had 'delivered itself' was discovered by the navy from May 26 to May 28 and surrounded off Tainan's Anping waters. However, given the military's high secrecy regarding many Chinese military activities shortly after the end of martial law, the public generally would not have been aware of this event. Still, coincidentally, a Formosa Television (FTV) reporter happened to be shooting a fisheries feature nearby, inadvertently unveiling the true nature of the anti-submarine operation against the Chinese submarine. The Navy's S-70C(M)-1 anti-submarine helicopter suspended sonar and launched smoke bombs to mark the submarine's position. The towed sonar detects Chinese submarines hiding in the shadow zone created by the temperature inversion layer. A coordination exercise of sea and air anti-submarine warfare took place during the Han Guang 38 exercise in July 2022 with the Navy's Kangding-class ship.
Source: YAHOO