TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — To coincide with the official launch of Taiwan's first domestically-produced submarine on Sept. 28, the Office of the President released a video that included time-lapse footage showing the assembly of major sections of the vessel.
While President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) presided over the launch ceremony for the Hai Kun (海鯤), or "Narwhal" in English, at CSBC Corporation’s Kaohsiung shipyard, a video was displayed on a big screen showcasing the process of designing, assembling, and testing the Narwhal. In the video, the simulated ship segment is shown enduring the powerful blast waves of explosives and the assembly process of major ship sections is documented in a time-lapse format.
Due to the sensitive nature of the submarine's interior compartments, certain sections are heavily blurred.
The video features computer-generated animations simulating the Narwhal's underwater navigation. It also takes viewers back to 1987, revealing rare footage of the construction of the Hai Lung-class submarine.
Assembly of tail section of submarine. (Office of the President screenshot)
It then shows discussions during the design phase of pressure testing and blast and shock resistance testing, as well as surface and underwater navigation tests by a yellow model of the ship.
The underwater blast and shock resistance tests, which are crucial for assessing the strength of the submarine's hull sections, involve the use of alloy steel produced by China Steel Corporation to create a "big white ball" cylindrical structure, reported Liberty Times. Electronic systems are installed to simulate whether the submarine can continue operating normally in the event of an enemy depth charge attack.
According to the video, after placing the "Big White Ball" into the water, it was towed by a ship to the open sea, and then explosives were detonated, creating splashes of water that reached several stories in height. Although this video does not show the results of the tests, people familiar with the matter revealed last year that the results of the underwater blast and shock resistance tests were "highly satisfactory" to Taiwan's shipbuilders and military authorities, according to the newspaper.
Video of the construction of the #Taiwanese submarine Hai Kung has appeared pic.twitter.com/VBslvBpwpg
— Oo ps (@ps_trump) September 28, 2023
