The delivery ceremony for the rescue and salvage ship Da Wu (大武, ARS-571) took place at CSBC’s Kaohsiung shipyard, hosted by CSBC Chairman Huang Cheng-Hung (黃正弘) and Taiwan Navy Chief Admiral Tang Hua (唐華).
Da Wu is part of a 12 units force-building initiative unveiled in 2016. Construction began in August 2021, resulting in a vessel measuring 87 meters in length, with a displacement of 3,250 tons and a top speed of 18 knots. This lead ship, along with several planned sister ships, is set to replace Taiwan’s aging fleet of rescue and salvage ships and ocean tugs, all of which were built and commissioned in the 1940s.
Da Wu is equipped with an all-electric propulsion system, featuring a gearbox, controllable pitch propeller (CPP), azimuth thrusters, bow and stern thrusters, and a dynamic positioning system. It is capable of towing ships with displacements over 30,000 tons and can handle a maximum displacement of 100,000 tons. Additionally, it includes a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) with a dive capability of up to 500 meters, as well as a diving bell that can reach depths of 100 meters.
The rescue and salvage ship will be deployed for a range of missions, including naval ship rescues, towing operations, underwater salvage, and support for maritime rescue efforts. It will also assist other government and civilian vessels in joint search and rescue (SAR) and humanitarian missions.
Taiwan’s current rescue and salvage ships and ocean tugs
The Taiwanese navy currently operates two Da Hu (大湖) class rescue and salvage ships and two Ta Tung class ocean tugs, all former U.S. Navy vessels built and commissioned in the 1940s.
The ROCS Da Hu (ARS-552) was originally the Diver-class rescue and salvage ship USS Grapple (ARS-7), commissioned on December 16, 1943. While its exact decommissioning date remains unknown, it was transferred to Taiwan on December 1, 1977. The ROCS Da Tun (大屯, ARS-556) was formerly the Bolster-class rescue and salvage ship USS Recovery (ARS-43), commissioned on May 15, 1946, decommissioned on September 20, 1994, and transferred to Taiwan on September 30, 1998.
In the Ta Tung class (大同) of ocean tugs, ROCS Ta Wan (大萬, ATF-551) was previously the Cherokee-class tugboat USS Apache (ATF-67), commissioned on December 12, 1942, and decommissioned on February 27, 1974. It was transferred to Taiwan on June 1, 1974. ROCS Da Gang (大岡, ATF-554) was formerly the Abnaki-class tugboat USS Achomawi (ATF-148), commissioned on November 11, 1944, decommissioned on June 10, 1947, and transferred to Taiwan in 1991.
To manage maintenance costs, Taiwan’s Ministry of Defense has announced plans to decommission these aging ocean tugs (ATF) between fiscal years 2024 and 2028.
