The Republic of China Navy (ROCN), on 30 September, commissioned its first indigenous Yushan Landing Platform Dock (LPD-1401). Design efforts began in early 2015 and were unveiled on 15 May 2016. The keel of the lead vessel was laid in June 2020. Yushan was launched in April 2021, the launch ceremony was attended by President Tsai Ing-wen and Defense Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng. President Tsai described the vessel as a “milestone” on Taiwan’s journey to naval shipbuilding self-sufficiency. Yushan, began her sea trials on 7 July 2022. The ship was delivered on 30 September 2022 by CSBC Corporation, Taiwan.
The class is intended to fill both military and humanitarian roles, as a command ship for amphibious operations, a mothership for the ROCN’s small minelayers, and a general logistics transport capable of supplying islands without harbor facilities. The Yushan class is intended to maintain the inventory of the Republic of China Navy’s land platform docks at two ships. The lead ship of the class will fill the void left by the retirement of the ROCS Chung Cheng (formerly USS Comstock), while a planned second ship will replace the ROCS Hsu Hai (formerly USS Pensacola), which served in the Republic of China Navy since 1999.
Yushan-class ships has a length of 153 m (502 ft), a beam of 23 m (75 ft), and their standard displacement is 10,000 t (9,800 long tons). The class has a draught of 6.1 m (20 ft), maximum speed of 21 knots (39 km/h) and range of 7,000 mi (11,000 km). The ships are able to carry several AAV7 along with 673 troops. The ships also has a single flight deck with two hangars able to accommodate Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk or the naval Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. The class is unusually well armed for a landing platform dock with a 76 mm gun, two Phalanx CIWS, and two modular missile launchers of either 8 Hsiung Feng II surface-to-surface missiles or 16 Hai Chien surface-to-air missiles. They also have radar signature reducing features and electromagnetic pulse protection.
CSBC Corporation received a TWD4.635 billion (USD145.93 million) contract to build the vessel in April 2018. Its keel was laid down in June 2020 and the vessel was launched in April 2021. CSBC Corporation, Taiwan (Táiw?n Guójì Zàochuán, literally “Taiwan International Shipbuilding Corporation”) is a company that produces ships for civilian and military use in Taiwan. It is headquartered in Kaohsiung, with shipyards in Kaohsiung and Keelung. It was a state-owned enterprise before privatization via an IPO in 2008. In 2021 government and naval vessels accounted for 60% of CSBC’s operations.
