
New patrol vessel Anping CG601 for the Taiwanese Coast Guard launched. (Picture source Jong Shyn Shipbuilding Group)
NavyRecognition reports that,
“…on April 28, 2020, the first 600-ton catamaran-hull patrol vessel, Anping (CG601) for the Taiwanese Coast Guard was launched in the southern port city of Kaohsiung.”
This is the first of twelve ordered for the Taiwanese Coast Guard. The design is based on the Tuo Chiang-class stealth missile corvette in service with the Republic of China Navy.
An earlier post, from 2014, talked about these cutters and included a video of the Navy version of the design underway.
I am a bit surprised this program is not moving more rapidly. According to Wikipedia, work did not begin on these cutters until 2019. It appears the Taiwanese Navy still only has one of the 12 Corvettes planned. They may have had some problems.
I am surprised how well-armed such small ships can be. Such a design would be very helpful for escorting, special forces, Arctic Patrols, CONUS defense, Drug War, and VBSS.
Can you Imagine the US Navy Special Boat teams getting something like this.
Nicky- No. This vessel is an order if magnitude larger than the RHIBs the Navy special boat teams use.
A similar craft with a different load out might be interesting as an Cyclone class replacement since I don’t think the Navy really thought through very well the bright idea to replace them with LCS ships, which are much larger, expensive and require mire berths.
I was thinking more in line for special boat teams
@Nicky His point stands. Pretty much the biggest thing operated by SWCC of the Special Boat Teams is the 60 ton Mark V. More typically they operate the older light Combat Rubber Raiding Craft, NSW Rigid Hull Inflatable Boat, Special Operations Craft-Riverine, and the newer Combatant Craft Assault, Combatant Craft Medium. And along the mission parameters of the Mark V, the Combatant Craft Heavy (@ 36 tons)
So no, it’s extremely unrealistic to expect them to move up to 600 ton FAC/Light Missile Corvettes.
I know USNI is making a case to bring back a Gunboat.
https://www.usni.org/magazines/proceedings/2020/may/bring-back-true-gunboat
The Cat looks to be more an FAC than an OPC.
I have heard there have been problems with this class.