- Yes
- No
TL;DR
A North Korean-built ship, heavily based on the Soviet Fugas-class, with two dual 57mm cannons, 4x quadruple 14.5mm cannons and ASW capabilities
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. 513 underwent two key modifications. In the 1970s, the frontal 85mm cannon was replaced with a dual 57mm cannon as already mounted aft, and in 1983, it was given two RBU-600s as well as depth charges. This suggestion is for its 1983 configuration.
Characteristics
Sariwŏn no. 513 has two dual 57mm ZiF-31 cannons located at the fore and aft of the ship. This is a Soviet naval gun designed in the 50s – they were clip-fed, and could fire at 50 rounds/minute.
As AA armament, the ship has 4x ZPU-4 quadruple 14.5mm auto-cannons, with two on either side of the superstructure amidships.
- Annotated image of no. 513 – this photo is said to be from 1991
- The rear dual 57mm set-up of an unknown Sariwŏn-class ship
Sariwŏn no. 513 was also given two RBU-600s. The RBU-600 is a Soviet six-barrel ASW rocket launcher. It fires in 6-rocket salvos – each rocket contains a depth charge. These are mounted behind the forward 57mm guns.
Little 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).
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 fairly weak primary armament in respect to other ships of the class, but good AA and ASW weaponry.
Specifications
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General
Displacement: 650t
Engine: 2x 1500bhp
Top Speed: 21 knots (39km/h)
Crew: 65-70 -
Armament:
Main Armament
2x dual 57mm ZiF-31AA Armament
4x quadruple 14.5mm ZPU-4Other Armament
2x RBU-600 rocket launchers -
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