Rescuers in Taiwan continued their search for three missing sailors on Friday after six officers and crew were swept off a submarine's topside the previous day.
Three non-commissioned officers assigned to the Taiwanese navy's Hai Lung-class submarine the ROCS Hai Hu were among those attempting to recover a piece of lost equipment when the mishap happened, Taiwan's navy said.
Taipei, which is gearing up for more military challenges from neighboring China, has reported accidents among its armed forces each year as training has intensified. It was the second such incident on a Hai Lung-class submarine in 14 years.
The Taiwanese navy said a lieutenant commander, a lieutenant and a non-commissioned officer were rescued on Thursday shortly after they were struck by a large wave and fell into the sea just south of the island.
The service did not elaborate on the piece of hardware that had fallen off the boat, but said all six submariners had been wearing life vests.
At a press conference on Friday, a navy spokesperson said the crew were also wearing safety harnesses during the recovery operation, but that the line was snapped by the force of the wave.
The three rescued sailors were conscious and transferred to Zuoying Armed Forces General Hospital after the Hai Hu returned to port in Taiwan's southern Kaohsiung city early on December 22.
Staff at the facility said two other crew members, who were inside the submarine at the time, were also treated for injuries sustained during the incident.
Taiwan's coast guard said its ships and boats were continuing their search for the three sailors. Two helicopters also joined in the rescue effort beginning on Thursday.
The Hai Hu is one of only two Hai Lung-class submarines in Taiwan's navy. The aging submersibles were built by a Dutch contractor in the 1980s based on the design of the Royal Netherlands Navy's Zwaardvis class of boats.
In 2009, the Hai Hu's sister submarine, the ROCS Hai Lung—also the lead boat in its class—lost its captain after a 30-foot wave swept him off the sail. His body was found after two days.
The Hai Hu and the Hai Lung have been in service for 35 and 36 years, respectively. They, along with two World War II-era training submarines transferred from the U.S. Navy, are Taiwan's only underwater fire power.
Faced with a military balance that is tilting in China's favor, Taiwan plans to replace its aging submarine fleet with a domestically manufactured class dubbed the Hai Kun, or "narwhal."
The lead boat of the Hai Kun class—also believed to be an iteration on the Dutch Zwaardvis class—was launched in September. Taipei has budgeted for eight of the diesel-electric attack submarines.
Analysis suggests the boats will utilize a number of American weapons systems, as well as equipment from other partners, most of whom remain unnamed because of political sensitivities surrounding technology transfer—and because of Beijing's opposition.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
John Feng is Newsweek's contributing editor for Asia based in Taichung, Taiwan. His focus is on East Asian politics. He ... Read more
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