- Yes
- No
TL;DR: A North Korean gunboat derived from the Chinese Hainan-class (Type 037 submarine chaser), armed with a 100mm cannon, one dual 57mm cannon, two twin 30mm cannons, two RBU-1200s, and depth charges.
History
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.
The Pr. 201 (NATO codename: S.O.-1) was a Soviet submarine chaser first produced in 1955. 192 were built, and they were exported to a number of countries, including the DPRK in the early 1960s. The DPRK then built ~12 indigenous variants of the S.O.-1, outfitted with better weaponry but losing their ASW capabilities. The DPRK also obtained a number of Chinese Type 037 submarine chasers (NATO codename: Hainan) around the late 1960s – at least six entered service with their West Sea Fleet (all Chinese ships in KPANF service are stationed along the west coast).
Following the acquisition of these ships, North Korea began development of a new slightly lengthened and up-gunned derivative. This class is known as the Taech’ŏng-class, and has been described as a progressive development of the Type 037, retaining most of the original Chinese design but optimising them for operations along the Korean coast. The original weaponry was kept, but new weaponry was added, along with a lengthened hull, and design changes to the bridge and sensors.
The Taech’ŏng-class is split into two classes, Taech’ŏng-I and Taech’ŏng-II. The Taech’ŏng-II comprises fairly minor changes to Taech’ŏng-I, consisting of more modern weapons and sometimes altered bridges. The Taech’ŏng-II is much more rarely seen to the public, however, so information is limited. At least seven Taech’ŏng-I and at least five Taech’ŏng-II were built, and all appear to remain in service, acting as some of the KPANF’s most successful designs.
Multiple sub-variants of the Taech’ŏng-I (and -II) exist – differing primarily in their weaponry. The dual 57mm present at the fore of the Type 037 was replaced by either a turreted 85mm or 100mm cannon. In front of the bridge was a pair of dual 14.5mm cannons (or more recently, 14.5mm gatling guns). The RBU-1200s were reduced from four to two (and some carry none). The Taech’ŏng-II has similar weaponry, but many also carry two Soviet AK-230s, along with its associated radar system.
According to the CIA in 1987, the development of the Taech’ŏng-I is as follows:
- Taech’ŏng-I units 1-4
- Armed with turreted 85mm, 2x RBU-1200 aft of foward gun, 2x twin 14.5mm guns, 1x 25mm 2M-3, 1x twin 57mm ZiF-31
- One unit was modified with the RBU-1200s forward of the main gun
- Taech’ŏng-I units 5-7
- Armed with turreted 100mm, 2x RBU-1200 in front of forward gun
- Taech’ŏng-I units 8-9
- Same weapons suite as 5-7, but with superstructure extended
- Note: Might be misidentification, and instead be Taech’ŏng-IIs
The Taech’ŏng-II featured a slightly lengthened hull as well as a modified bridge. They also had the two 14.5mm cannons and the dual 25mm replaced with both a fore and aft 30mm AK-230 copy, as well as its associated radar. All Taech’ŏng-IIs feature the 100mm.
This suggestion focuses on Taech’ŏng-II number 515, which to my knowledge is the only numbered Taech’ŏng-II seen in photos online.
- Taech’ŏng-II no. 515 during training exercises
Characteristics
Taech’ŏng-II no. 515 has a turreted 100mm gun mounted forward. The turret is semi-enclosed, with the rear being open for crew. The 100mm cannon is highly likely to be a derivative of the Soviet D-10, present on the T-54/T-55/Type 59, of which thousands are operated by the KPA. This cannon can fire APHE and HE rounds. The gun is manually loaded, and the turret is likely to be manually traversed.
- 100mm turret of an unknown Taech’ŏng-I
- Left, shell being loaded into 100mm breech. 85mm turret in the background.
- Right, crew member next to a 100mm round, just in front of an RBU-1200
Replacing the 14.5mm cannons of the Taech’ŏng-I is an AK-230 copy located behind the 100mm turret at the front of the bridge. The AK-230 is a Soviet fully-automatic twin 30mm cannon, with a rate of fire of 1000 rounds / minute. The cannons fire HE and AP-T rounds. In-game, the AP-T rounds penetrate 68mm of armour at 10m.
On the small aft deckhouse, where the 25mm 2M-3 turret was on the Taech’ŏng-I, is the MR-104 Rys (NATO: ‘Drum Tilt’) radar for the AK-230.
Behind this on the main deck is a dual 57mm ZiF-31 mount. These are Soviet naval guns designed in the 50s – they were clip-fed, and could fire at 50 rounds/minute, with similar performance to the S-60 present on the ZSU-57-2, albeit without the AP rounds.
A second AK-230 is located right at the end of the deck, in front of the 57mm turret.
- Two unknown Taech’ŏng-IIs. The rear AK-230 is visible on the ship in the foreground, as well as the modified bridge clearly visible on the ship in the background
Located at the very end of the ship are two racks for depth charges. These racks were mounted on all KPANF ships above a certain size built during the Cold War. Each rack carries 6 depth charges, for a total of 12. Some sources say that these were removed on the Taech’ŏng-IIs, but photo evidence suggests otherwise.
Supplementing this ASW weaponry are two RBU-1200 rocket launchers mounted just in front of the 100mm turret mount, one on either side. These have five launcher pipes, and each fire 213mm rockets equipped with depth charges.
Lastly, at least one Taech’ŏng-II was equipped with four sets of three 82mm chaff launchers, in front of the rear AK-230. Whether this was present on all Taech’ŏng-IIs remains unknown, but definitely plausible, as chaff launchers were also seen on Taech’ŏng-I no. 623.
- The same two unknown Taech’ŏng-IIs as above, photographed more recently. On the ship in the background, the radar and RBU-1200s have been removed, presumably for maintenance
Conclusion
Taech’ŏng-II no. 515 represents one of the KPANF’s most successful classes of gunboat, as well as the best version of any ships of the Taech’ŏng class. I believe it should be added in either a future North Korean coastal fleet sub-tree for China, or a United Korean coastal fleet tree. This ship is armed with a variety of strong weapons that would place it solidly around a BR of 4.0.
Specifications
-
General
Displacement: 385-420t
Length: ~61m
Engine: 4x 2200 bhp, 8800 bhp total
Top Speed: ~30.5 knots (56.5km/h)
Crew: ~70-80 -
Armament:
Main Armament
1x 100mm
1x dual 57mm ZiF-31AA Armament
2x 30mm AK-230ASW Armament
2x RBU-1200
12x depth charges -
Sensors and Systems:
“Pot Head” (Reya) Search Radar
MR-104 “Drum Tilt” (Rys) Targeting Radar
Images
- Rear deck of an unknown Taech’ŏng-II. Another one is in the background, with all of its crew present. These two ships might be the same as photographed in the other two photos above.
I have yet to find any more images of the Taech’ŏng-II. When I do, I will post them here.
Sources
Spoiler
The Armed Forces of North Korea: On the Path of Songun – Stijn Mitzer and Joost Oliemans
North Korean Naval Shipbuilding July 1980 – August 1982 (S) – CIA Imagery Interpretation Report
