Tŭngsan'got-class, 682

ChieftainWarrior · December 15, 2024, 11:00pm

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Tŭngsan’got-class, 682

TL;DR: A class of indigenously-produced Project 201-class submarine chasers, upgraded to carry a 100mm main cannon

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 that entered development in 1947. The first two prototypes finished construction in 1955. Ten more were built under the name Pr. 201K from 1957-1958, with an increased displacement, simpler engines, and altered armament. Two more variants followed, with 242 Pr. 201Ms being built, and 18 Pr.201Ts. 62 Pr. 201Ms were exported to various countries, supposedly including the DPRK. However, at least four Pr. 201s were spotted in North Korea in 1957 (thus the Pr. 201K or the prototypes), according to the CIA, alongside one Ch’odo-class ship. This is backed up by a number of other sources that say either six or eight Pr. 201s were imported from 1957-1961, with the rest being constructed under license from 1968 onwards, most likely to Pr. 201M standard.

Shortly after receiving their Pr. 201s, the DPRK constructed around twelve indigenous variants, outfitted with better main weaponry, at the cost of its ASW weaponry. Some of these are part of the Tŭngsan’got-class (the others being Ch’odo-class). Some of the original Pr. 201s also appear to have been upgraded, for a total of 18.

Tŭngsan’got no. 682 and 684 are the most well-known. No. 684 famously participated in the First and Second Battles of Yeongpyeong (1999 and 2002), and was later renamed after its captain who died during the latter battle (김영식 영웅호, Kim Yŏngsik Hero). No. 682 was photographed in detail by South Korean forces just before the Second Battle of Yeongpyeong took place.

The name of this class of ships is not clear. Some sources don’t give the class a name, instead just referring to them as modified S.O.-1s (e.g. Mitzer and Oliemans, 2020). The name Tŭngsan’got is present all the way back to 2004, and possibly earlier, online. In Korean this is 등산곶, also much more frequently romanised following South Korea’s format as Deungsangot, or sometimes Dungsan-Got. The 2004 reference cites the South Korean Joint Chiefs of Staff. The name refers to the Tŭngsan/Deungsan cape, the southernmost point of North Korea, where, just offshore, is the contentious Northern Limit Line and location of the Second Battle of Yeongpyeong.

This all indicates that it is probably a name assigned by South Korean intelligence to the class. North Korea has not released the proper names for any of their ships, and more often than not names are assigned by the US, or in this case, South Korea.

Characteristics
Tŭngsan’got no. 682 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.

Online sources claim the Tŭngsan’got-class is fitted with 85mm cannons, but this is almost certainly wrong. The turret is distinctly similar, if not identical, to that of e.g. the 100mm-Taech’ŏng-I, and not the 85mm turret of the 85mm-Taech’ŏng-I or Ch’ŏngjin-class.

img.bemil.chosun

Tŭngsan’got-class frontal turret

Located on the small aft deckhouse is a mount for the Soviet ZPU-4 turret. This has four 14.5mm KPVT auto-cannons – the standard 14.5mm KPV imported from the Soviet Union, and which fire three types of AP rounds and one HE round (in-game).

On later variants of the Tŭngsan’got-class, this has been replaced by a 14.5mm rotary cannon, presumably on no. 682 as well. However, I’m suggesting No. 682 in its original specifications (and as seen in 2002), and suggesting No. 684 separately with the slightly altered weaponry and other upgrades.

Behind the rear deckhouse are two mounts for dual 37mm 61-K cannons. These guns have a fire rate of 160 rpm, and can fire HE, AP and HVAP rounds. The AP and HVAP rounds penetrate 68mm and 82mm at 100m respectively.

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 appears to carry 4 or 5 depth charges, for a total of 8-10.

Tŭngsan’got-class ships have a full displacement of around 240t (Pr. 201M = 216t, and Patrol Boat 41 = 235t). They likely have three 40DM diesel engines, providing a total output of 6600 hp, and enabling the ship to reach speeds around 27 knots (50 km/h). They have a ‘Pot Head’, Don-2, and ‘Ski Pole’ radar.

Conclusion
The Tŭngsan’got-class is a lighter, slightly less-well armed and slower, but overall similar, class of ships to the Taech’ŏng-I and -II classes, featuring the same 100mm cannon but 37mm cannons instead of 57mm, worse AA armament, and worse ASW armament (lacking RBU-1200s). It is an upgrade over the earlier Pr.201-based Patrol Boat 41 and Ch’odo-class, featuring an improved main gun (76mm → 100mm) and additional secondary weaponry. It would fit at a BR of around 3.3-3.7 in either a future North Korean coastal fleet sub-tree for China, or a United Korean coastal fleet tree.

Specifications

General
Displacement: 240t (estimated)
Mobility: 6600bhp
Top Speed: 27knots (50km/h)
Crew: Unknown, >28
Armament:
Main Armament
1x 100mm

AA Armament
2x dual 37mm 61-K
1x quad 12.7mm ZPU4

ASW Armament
4x RBU-1200
Sensors and Systems:
“Pot Head” (Reya) Search Radar
Donets-NM/Donets-2MN Navigation Radar
‘Ski Pole’ IFF