Cheonji-class fast combat support ship

First ship of Cheonji-class, ROKS Cheonji
Class overview
Builders	Hyundai Heavy Industries
Operators	Republic of Korea Navy
Succeeded by	Soyang-class
Built	1990–1998
In commission	1991–present
Completed	3
Active	3
General characteristics
Type	Fast combat support ship
Displacement	4,200 tonnes (4,134 long tons) 9,113 tonnes (8,969 long tons) (full load)
Length	133.7 m (438 ft 8 in)
Beam	17.8 m (58 ft 5 in)
Draft	6.8 m (22 ft 4 in)
Propulsion	2 × Voith Schneider Propeller
Speed	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km)
Sensors and processing systems	2 × Anti-ship radar
Armament	1 × 20 mm cannon 1 × 40 mm cannon DAGAIE

Cheonji-class fast combat support ship (천지급 군수지원함, 天池級軍需支援艦) is a ship class of fast combat support ships currently in service on the Republic of Korea Navy.

After their commissioning in the 1990s, they significantly increased the Korean Navy's ocean operation ability, especially in foreign activities. They also participated in various events using their wide deck and contributed to the development of civil-military relations.

History

After Korean War, the Korean Navy purchased and operated small refueling ships from the 1960s to the 1980s. These ships were obsolete due to prolonged operation, which forced sequential retirement from the late 1970s, and additionally, as the demand for maritime operations increased day by day, the Navy required naval vessels to fill the void.

From the mid-1980s, based on the various ship drying experiences, the Korean Navy proposed building combat support ship domestically. From 1988 to 1990, the first combat support ship, later named Cheonji, was built and launched. Two more, Daecheong and Hwacheon, was built about 7 years later. This long term was because, at the time, the Korean Navy decided whether or not to build follow-up ships after finishing the operation test of the first ship.

As the needs of support ship increased over time, the Navy designed new combat support ship. Soyang-class was made in 2016, and is based on the Cheonji-class.

Design

Cheonji-class ships are about 133 metres (436 ft 4 in) long, 18 metres (59 ft 1 in) wide, which were the largest of the Korean Navy before commission of Dokdo-class. They can load about 4800 ton of cargo, excluding the ship itself's supply.

They are armed with 1 20 millimetres (0.79 in) gun, 1 40 millimetres (1.6 in) gun, and Device Automatic Gurre Anti-missile Infrared Electromagnetic device, providing self-defence against potential enemy ships.

The resupply systems are located both left and right, to supply two ships at the same time. At the stern, it is possible to resupply both Cheonji-class itself and other ships by using UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter. The most distinctive feature is that it is a highly adaptable support ship that can transport supplies to its own large cranes even in ports without cargo handling facilities.

Naming

To take account the characteristics of the ships that contains fuel and water, the naming of Fast combat support ships is taken from lakes that have large water volume in Korea. For example, Cheonji, the first ship of the class, is the name of Cheonji lake.

List of ships

Hull no.	Name	Launched	Commissioned
AOE 57	ROKS Cheonji	1990	1991
AOE 58	ROKS Daecheong	1997	1997
AOE 59	ROKS Hwacheon	1997	1998