Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen attended the ceremony as the chief guest, along with other high-ranking officials such as the Chief of Naval Staff, the Vice President of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and so on.
Speaking on the occasion, President Tsai pointed out the importance of the new LPD and mentioned the role of the ship in times of peace and war saying “The LPD Yushan can provide supplies and personnel to outlying islands in peacetime, but can also handle disaster relief and medical emergencies, in addition to its missions during wartime.”
President Tsai also touched on the importance of independent defense industry and underlined that the Yu Shan is the first 10.000-ton warship built by national means.
“Implementing the independence of national defense and equipping the national army with the best equipment to defend the country is the unchanging policy and determination of the government.”
Tsai Ing-wen, President of Taiwan
In addition to the LPD, five landing craft (LCM type) were also delivered:
About Yu Shan
Built by Taiwan’s naval shipbuilder China Shipbuilding Corporation (CSBC), LPD Yu Shan was launched in April 2021, and started the sea trials on July 6, 2022, approximately one year after the launching ceremony.
The ship has a total length of 153 meters, an overall beam of 23 meters, a hull draught of 6 meters and a full-load displacement of 10,600 tons. The new LPD can reach a maximum speed of 21.5 knots.
LPD Yu Shan is armed with 32x TC-2N (4×8) medium-range air defense missiles, a 76mm gun, and two Phalanx CIWS.
The LPD can carry AAV-7 amphibious assault vehicles, landing craft, Hummer vehicles, and 673 soldiers. Yu shan is also capable to carry 5 LCMs for amphibious operations.
The main task of the vessel will be amphibious operations: Serve as the main unit in an amphibious task force to carry out amphibious combat missions or perform recovery operations on Taiwan’s outer (offshore) islands, and serve as a maritime mobile field hospital. Secondary roles include disaster relief (the vessel can serve as a temporary field hospital) and international humanitarian relief.
CSBC will build four LPDs for the ROC Navy. Yu Shan will replace the ROC Navy’s only operating amphibious transport dock, the ROCS Hsu Hai (ex-USS Pensacola), which the Taiwan Navy has operated for more than 50 years.
