Taiwan commissions 20,000-ton combat support ship

[CougarKing]

Another indicator of how far Taiwan's domestic shipbuilding industry has recovered and advanced since the industries built during 50 years of Japanese colonial rule were mostly destroyed by US aerial bombing in the Second World War.

The next logical step for them is to build home-grown submarines, since no one else is willing to sell to them for fear of jeopardizing trade relations with mainland China.

bmpd.livejournal.com

Taiwan commissions 20,000-tonne combat support ship

22 January 2015

Panshih was built by state-owned Kaohsiung-based shipbuilder CSBC Corporation at a cost of USD130 million. Construction began in 2011 and the ship was launched in 2013.

According to the Ministry of National Defense (MND), Panshih is a multirole vessel and will be used as a transport, maritime rescue, and humanitarian assistance vessel. ...

The MND has not said what armaments Panshih will carry, but IHS Jane's Fighting Ships notes that it is armed with an Oto Melara 76 mm gun, two Raytheon Vulcan Phalanx 20 mm close-in weapon systems, two Rheinmetall Millennium 35 mm guns, and two 30 mm machine guns.

Jane's

The photo from Jane's shows a Sea Chaparral surface-to-air missile launcher on the ship's bow in place of the 76mm gun. Poder Naval

 

[jollyjacktar]

Ain't she purdy!  I am really interested in the cost quoted of $130M USD.  That, if correct, is very impressive.