The Navy said Sunday it has named its seventh 1,800-ton class attack submarine after a South Korean independence fighter who strove to liberate Korea from Japan’s colonial rule.
The vessel named Hong Beom-do is the seventh edition of the Navy’s 1,800-ton diesel-electric attack submarine known as the Type 214. The Son Won-Il submarine, named after South Korea’s first navy chief, is the first edition of the Navy’s 214-class line.
The latest submarine is currently in the final stages of construction by Hyundai Heavy Industries.
The Navy plans to have a launching ceremony for the new submarine in April before integrating it into its fleet in July 2017.
The submarine runs 65.3 meters in length and 6.3 m in width with the capability to accommodate 40 crew members and load sea-based cruise missiles and torpedoes.
Hong led two victorious battles against the imperialist Japan as the chief commander of an independence army that rose up against Japan’s colonial rule from 1910-45. (Yonhap)
