- Yes
- No
TL;DR
A North Korean-built ship, heavily based on the Soviet Fugas-class, with an 85mm, two dual 37mm cannons, and 4x quadruple 14.5mm cannons
History
The Soviet Project 53-class, part of the Fugas-class (also incorrectly known as Tral-class), was a class of minesweepers constructed in the mid-1930s. They saw service throughout WWII with the Soviet Navy, and most were scrapped/decommissioned by 1960.
Following the signing of the Korean Armistice in 1953, the DPRK sought to re-equip its navy (the Korean People’s Navy, KPN or KPANF) and replace its dated inventory. They had primarily been equipped with basic Soviet torpedo boats, as well as a variety of civilian boats converted to military use. Along with limited numbers of P-4 and P-6 torpedo boats, the Soviet Union also sent 2 Project 53-class ships – T-2 Tros and T-8 Cheka. These entered service with the KPN very shortly after, numbered 1008 and 1003 respectively.
The DPRK used these two to construct a new class of ships in the late 1960s, named Sariwŏn-class by the US DoD. These ships remained very similar to the two Pr. 53-class ships in their early configurations. Four ships were constructed, initially numbered 511-514. It appears that ships 511-513 received various upgrades throughout their service, and were renumbered multiple times, creating huge confusion online. The same goes for Pr. 53 no. 1003, which received an upgrade at some point in the late 80s, very similar to those of the Sariwŏn-class. They probably held the numbers 725-727 at some point in the mid-1990s, and at least one was then re-numbered to 613 sometime before 2008. All of them serve(d) in the East Sea fleet of the KPANF. Their current status is unknown.
Sariwŏn no. 511 underwent modifications between 1979-1984 – it replaced the twin 57mm mount with two dual 37mm AA cannons, making it very similar to Pr. 53 no. 671.
Characteristics
Sariwŏn no. 511 has a turreted 85mm gun mounted forward, seemingly identical to the turret design seen on a number of other KPANF vessels, like the Ch’ŏngjin-class. The 85mm cannon is highly likely to be a derivative of the ZiS-S-53 found on the T-34-85, or the Type-62-85-TC as found on the Type 62/63, all of which are operated by the KPA. This cannon can fire APHE and HE rounds.
Sariwŏn no. 511 also has two dual 37mm V-11-M anti-aircraft cannons towards the rear of the ship. These guns have a fire rate of 160 rpm (each, 320rpm total) and can fire HE, AP and HVAP rounds. The ship also has 4x ZPU-4 quadruple 14.5mm auto-cannons, with two on either side of the superstructure amidships.
- The upgraded Pr. 53, with the same weaponry as Sariwŏn no. 511
Very little information exists on the rest of the Sariwŏn-class’ equipment. While the Pr. 53 had 2 depth charges and 30 mines, I don’t believe the Sariwŏn-class inherited these – namely because the CIA note that only Sariwŏn no. 513 was given RBU-600s and depth charges in 1983.
Once again, no information exists on the radar equipment used on the Sariwŏn-class. I believe that there is at least a Soviet ‘Pot Head’ search radar (‘Reya’), judging by various images of other ships in the class. This is backed up by a few sources, which also claim it has one Don-2 navigation radar.
The ship has an all steel hull, a length of 62.1m, and a displacement of ~650 tons. It has 2 diesel engines, giving an output of 3000bhp. This allows the ship to reach a speed of 21 knots, or 39 km/h. The ship has a crew of 65-70 (all approximate data).
- Sariwŏn no. 512 after undergoing the same upgrade as no. 511
Conclusion
The Sariwŏn-class is one of the few classes of domestic large North Korean ships, and would be a fun mid-rank ship for a future North Korean coastal fleet sub-tree for China, or as part of a United Korean coastal fleet tree. I suggest it gets a BR of around 3.3-3.7, with a solid 85mm cannon and great secondary weaponry.
Specifications
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General
Displacement: 650t
Engine: 2x 1500bhp
Top Speed: 21 knots (39km/h)
Crew: 65-70 -
Armament:
Main Armament
1x 85mmAA Armament
2x dual 37mm V-11-M
4x quadruple 14.5mm ZPU-4 -
Sensors and Systems:
“Pot Head” (Reya) Search Radar
Don-2 Navigation Radar
Images
No other definitive images exist online.
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
Modifications to Patrol Ships, North Korea – CIA Report
The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World, 2005-2006