It is twelve midnight at the Kaohsiung shipyard of China Shipbuilding Corp. (CSC), and a cool evening breeze has at last taken off some of the heat of the day. After their long wait, some twenty people with mobile telephones move down into the dry dock to commence the "centering" operation. CSC has plenty of experience producing merchant ships, but the construction of a 3,600 ton warship is a first. Contracting and supervisory work all has to be carried out with great caution.

Calibration and centering of the main shaft, which determines the ship's center of propulsion, is one of the most important stages in ship construction, like installing the main beam in a house. During summertime it is a job that has to be carried out at night to avoid the possibility of error caused by heat-induced expansion of the ship's steel hull. The main shaft in this case is 30 meters long, three times the length in the average merchant ship, so those working at either end need to keep in communication via mobile telephone.

This is where work on the Perry-class secondgeneration warships is being carried out, for the navy's Kuanghua-1 Project. Eight frigates will be built to replace the Yangtzu destroyers after over forty years in service, and will become the major patrol strength in the Taiwan Straits.

The first of the second-generation warships began construction in January last year, and is scheduled for launch this October, going into regula rservice the year after next. Says Capt. Wang Feng-tien, chief of supervision at the navy shipbuilding development center, "we have been giving everything to the work, so as to enable the navy's second generation of warships to see service as soon as possible. On the one hand they have direct bearing on future national security, and on the other they will mean new ships for our young friends on board, who will no longer have to endure the cramped, sweltering conditions on the old ships. Perhaps young people will be more willing to join the navy in consequence."

Wang's words sum up the challenges facing the navy, and the hopes for the future.

Ships and manpower are the two major constituents of the navy. The ROC Navy has over 180 vessels of varying sizes, totalling over 200,000 tons of displacement, making it one of the ten largest navies in the world according to Jane's Warships. In terms of larger vessels, its 36 destroyers and frigates rank it only behind the US, the USSR, Japan, mainland China, Britain and France, and put it ahead of India, Italy and West Germany.

Admits Navy commander-in-chief Admiral Yeh Chang-tung, however: "The ships we have are already insufficient for the task of naval defense."

One reason is that the ships are too old. "The main warships we have have now were originally decommissioned American destroyers and frigates that we leased and purchased around 1971. Today they average over 45 years in service, and are almost at the stage where they are too old to use." So says Hsiao Chu-chiao, retired rear admiral and former government legislator. The old vessels cannot keep up with the fast-changing standards of modern warfare, and also require great outlays of manpower and materials just to keep them maintained.

Smuggling and illegal entry by sea has become increasingly frequent, particularly since the lifting of martial law, leaving the navy, which holds the front line, overstretched in both manpower and materials. Regular navy duties include reconnaissance patrols in the Straits, supply runs to the outer islands and naval exercises, but it now has to include protection of fisheries, rescue missions, prevention of illegal entry and returning captured illegal entrants to the mainland. "We are virtually run off our feet," admits an officer with the Sea Dragon Squadron of missile speedboats at Tsoying.

On top of everything else, navy conscription was this year reduced from three to two years in response to public opinion, making it the same as the army and air force. "For the navy, losing a third of its strength just like that when it is facing all these challenges, is like bad luck on the heels of a disaster," says Hsiao Chu-chiao.

The situation looks even more critical when a comparison is made with the strength of the mainland navy. Data shows that the mainland navy consists of over 2,300 vessels, including more than 50 destroyers and frigates, and nearly 100 each of submarines and heavy patrol craft, with a total displacement of 1.9 million tons, and 356,000 men--ten times the figures for Taiwan.

"The mainland navy is chiefly divided into the North Sea, East Sea and South Sea Fleets. The East Sea Fleet is deployed in the Fukien-Kwangtung coastal region and poses the biggest threat to Taiwan, with more than 800 ships, and almost half its manpower stationed across the water from Kinmen and Matsu Islands at Shacheng and Shantou," says one naval officer. "We can see that mainland military preparations for an attack on Taiwan have never slackened, from the strong amphibious attack capability of the East Sea Fleet, as well as the assault-oriented 'swift combat force' composed of all manner of high speed craft."

As another officer indicates, the mainland navy established a fleet of missile escort destroyers at Shantou in September 1986, with three heavy ships already in place. Coastal command and communication functions have been continually improved in recent years and the manpower of the three fleets deployed in such a way as to be more responsive. The threat to us has multiplied as a result.

Underlining the importance of maintaining and strengthening naval forces, Admiral Yeh explains: "Taiwan is bounded by sea on all sides, with some 1,100 kilometers of coastline. We are a typical export economy, with a high reliance on overseas trade. It only needs for our shipping routes to be blocked and our economic lifeline is cut."

Come what may, we can still defend ourselves. The navy's prescription for defeating the giant is: accelerated navy modernization and focus on key deployments, both of which relate to one another.

At the beginning of the 1980s the navy began thoroughly re-equipping. The two submarines Haihu and Hailung were purchased from the Netherlands, and are both in current service. The missile speedboat squadron was established and deployed. Also, Yangtzu destroyers were fitted with the domestically developed Wuchin-3 weapons system.

Under intensified pressure, the navy has invested in the Kuanghua-1 Project, for construction of a second generation of warships. Work started on the first of eight new Perry-class frigates at the beginning of last year, which will come into service during the next ten years. Stepped up preparations are also being made for the Kuanghua-2 Project.

A picture of our future navy begins to emerge from all this.

"The principle behind our military construction is dealing with mainland China, which poses the biggest threat to us." Data indicates that if the mainland authorities launch an attack on Taiwan regardless of internal democratic opposition and the cost in casualties--one third to one quarter of their combined forces manpower--then they have three possible options for military action:

The first is attacking the islands one by one, starting with Kinmen, Matsu and the Pescadores, at the same time using their air and sea dominance, and missiles, to strike military, political and economic targets on Taiwan itself.

The second option is to mount a direct attack on Taiwan and the Pescadores, in a full-scale invasion relying on the numerical superiority of their combined forces. In this way the enemy could avoid the heavily garrisoned islands of Kinmen and Matsu where attack would be very costly in lives lost, for little reward.

"The third possibility," according to relevant data, "is the most plausible, with lowest risk and greatest effect: a total blockade. The mainland authorities need only announce to the world that the seas around Taiwan are off limits due to 'civil war,' and that any ships that intrude will be sunk. Thus they could cut off Taiwan's economic lifeline and try and force a surrender. This would be the cheapest form of offensive, and one that would confuse the international community."

The Institute of Strategic Studies in Britain, verifies this with the following information: on the water the mainland Chinese navy has a versatile attack capability on coastal bases and ships at sea, with more than 50 destroyers and frigates, 250 missile speedboats, and nearly 150 speed hydrofoils. It can also impose a sea blockade of Taiwan and the outer islands. Additionally, some 200 fighter aircraft at the coast, and ten missile pads for Seahawk-2 missiles, with a range of 56 nautical miles, can be used to attack shipping or impose a blockade.

Most disturbing of all is the proliferation of mainland Chinese submarines beneath the waves, which can be involved in an attack or a blockade. There are currently ninety-two of them, among which those carrying ballistic nuclear missiles can directly threaten ports on the east coast of Taiwan.

Submarines can independently make war from out at sea for a long period of time, being stealthy and versatile, with long endurance and high assault power, and not needing to seek assistance by sea or air . . "They are exceedingly effective, whether at harassing, raiding, or blockading ports," remarks submarine captain Wang Le-tien. "The enemy of any country that has at least one submarine needs to lay out vast sums of money on antisubmarine ships and aircraft, just to detect, pursue and attack that submarine."

The submarine has become the key weapon of modern navies since it first proved itself in the Second World War. Continues Capt. Wang: "During the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina, Argentina sent out only two submarines, and though the British fired some 200 torpedoes they could not hit them, and were forced to expend a great deal of manpower to escort their ships."

Submarines lose some of their superiority in the relatively shallow Taiwan Straits, where sea trenches are not wide enough for use, and military experts believe there can be at the most only thirteen mainland submarines deployed around Taiwan, to the north, east, south and southwest where the waters are deeper. But in the words of one senior naval officer: "Their submarines still have a considerable ability to cut off our seas just by mining all the harbors and shipping lanes around Taiwan."

Thus when attack is measured against defense, and the need to put existing resources to most effective possible use, the navy's modernization plans focus on blockade breaking and antisubmarine warfare.

A participant in the selection of ship types for the second generation of warships, explains that "the main types under consideration were the F-122 and MEKO-360 from West Germany, the LUP from Italy and the FFG-7 from the US. Finally the FFG-7 (7th generation Perry-class) was chosen, having joint antiaircraft and antisubmarine capability, with midrange antiaircraft missiles and the ability to carry two large antisubmarine helicopters."

Eash second-generation warship, based on the original US Perry-class frigate design, will be reequipped with combat systems courtesy of the naval construction development center to fulfil its defense requirements in the seas around Taiwan. Main antiaircraft weaponry is a single MK-13 missile launcher at the bows, and the improved Harpoon anti-ship missile launcher can fire standard antiaircraft missiles. The ship carries two S-70C helicopters known for superb antisubmarine capability, in addition to the ASROC antisubmarine rocket and the MK-46 pursuit missile, well suited for search and detection during shallow water warfare. The ship also has 76mm rapid artillery, the MK-16 multiple cannon, 40mm rapid artillery and the domestically produced Hsiungfeng-2 missile, giving it formidable overall firepower.

Another major strategy is "submarines to combat submarines." In 1973 the navy purchased two submarines from the US, which had been firs tlaunched in 1964, and named them Haishih and Haipao.

Five years ago two new submarines bought from the Netherlands joined the fleet, and became the Hailung and Haihu after design improvements were made. These latter two craft are shaped like a tear drop for minimum resistance in the water, and have an underwater velocity of 20 knots (twenty nautical miles per hour). They operate to a depth of over 200 meters, can last at sea for two months without taking on fuel or supplies and have a range of over 10,000 nautical miles. Explains Capt. Wang Letien: "During war, the six torpedo tubes work in concert with the detection system under advanced computer control. The moment the enemy is located the torpedo is launched into attack."

One generation of ships replaces another, but in the changing face of naval warfare the marine corps remains a steady constant. During the Gulf War, it was the allied marines corps that caused the Iraqi defeat within 100 hours of the ground war beginning.

"The marines have special abilities to attack and defend. They can make amphibious landings and can land behind enemy lines to cut off the enemy's 'counter-landing' reinforcements," explains a senior officer at marine corps command. During the Battle of Kinmen and Matsu our marines repeatedly broke through the mainlanders' artillery blockade to keep the front line on the outer islands supplied, earning the name "best division in the world." In the Tungshan Island conflict in 1953, the last ditch defense mounted by the marines scared the Communist army from making any advance.

At present we have two divisions of marines, totalling approximately 40,000 men (mainland China has only around 28,000), second only to the US and the Soviet Union in number. Last year the editor of World Defence International magazine from the US visited Taiwan and gave a favorable assessment of our marines.

Says the deputy chief of political warfare at marine corps command: "We are currently also planning to replace the marines' tank landing craft and troop transporters, and build craft that can transport personnel and equipment in large volume, as well as fuel and ammunition supply craft. We will also set up Hsiehshu missile units and allocate 155mm large-caliber self-propelled artillery, to increase amphibious fighting strength."

The superb quality of the men, matched with advanced equipment, gives our marines the ability to seize the beaches and strike tens of kilometers into enemy territory to make war. As military expert Sherman Cheng says: "They are extremely threatening."

"In the past the attitude to equipment was 'you use what you get,' so that 'what you attacked depended on what you had to attack with.' In recent years we have gradually come around to: 'what you attack with depends on what you want to attack.' " So says Hsiao Chu-chiao. The Kuanghua Project has a budget of some NT$ 250 billion, equivalent to the cost for building a highspeed railway. "Fighting strength has naturally increased."

Something worth mentioning is that with new military equipment largely automated and technological, future manpower needs will be reduced, which eases the problem that has been caused for the navy by the shortened term of naval conscription. Sherman Cheng makes the comparison between new and old heavy warships, saying: "The Yangtzu destroyers that we use now need a crew of at least 275, whereas the new Perry-class frigates need only 140, or around half the manpower." The only flaw is that the navy has not yet won the support that it deserves for the bold steps it is making to overcome current obstacles.

The project for second-generation ships came under thorough questioning in the Legislative Yuan, while the national defense budget gets cut annually. For the navy, an even bigger impact has been caused by young people's lack of interest in actually joining up. "There's no point in having new weapons if there's no one to use them," laments Admiral Yeh Chang-tung, navy commander-inchief.

He ascribes the phenomenon to social prosperity, because today's younger generation have never known hardship, and don't want to know it either. Additionally, the success of family planning has limited family size, and parents do not want their precious only sons to endure the low pay and hard work of military life.

Hsiao Chu-chiao looks at it differently however. "The problem is caused by people's lack of understanding of the need for national security," he says. And that itself stems from the fact that we have been safe for too long, and lost the crisis mentality. Another reason is that "the military itself is very conservative, and often ignores communication with the public."

Capt. Chen Chao-chou, lecturer at the naval academy, believes that poor communication over a long period of time has had a very negative influence. "The youth of today know next to nothing about life in the navy," says Chen, who joined the navy when young because he yearned to go to sea. "Many who enroll at the academy still don't learn enough about actual life at sea, and the goal of the struggle, so they eventually drop out." Motivated by this, Chen spent nearly two years translating the bestseller The Hunt For Red October into Chinese, because it describes naval life. "Young people need to have a lifelike example to learn from," he says.

Excellent personnel quality has always been the strongest point of our national defense. During annual recruiting for the combined forces academy, the proportion of enrollees for the navy is usually the highest, which underlines the quality standards required by the navy. In recent years however the numbers seeking admission to military school have fallen steadily, with the navy feeling the bite more than the other forces because of its reputation for the hard life.

At this time when the navy is dedicated to modernization, to replacing the aging fleet and to securing the best weaponry, naval leaders recognize that the top priority is to draw the right personnel.

This is the very key to modernization of the navy.

[Picture Caption]

The submarine Haihu.

Our main naval strength currently: destroyers, submarines and missile speedboats.

To the left the destroyer Yangtzu, and to the right the supply ship Wuyi.

Naval crews have to maintain a state of constant alert in patrolling the seas around Taiwan, and protecting national security.

The dome-shaped installation is the STIR control radar for guiding missiles.

Some of the weaponry on board a destroyer; the keg-shaped objects are depth charges, the cylindrical ones are torpedoes. To the right are missiles launchers.

Part of the Wuchin-3 combat system has recently been fitted to Yangtzu destroyers: the Phalanx.

An essential part of everyday training is the operation and maintenance of the warships.

The Chaparral missile, which is installed on main force worships.

The navy has been dubbed the "technological" armed force. Technology has a part in ship operation, weapons systems, and understanding meteorology and ocean currents.

It's work as usual on board, never mind how rough the seas are and how badly the boat gets thrown around.

Our marines are first class for quality and numerical strength. (photo by Pu Hua-chih)

Our main naval strength currently: destroyers, submarines and missile speedboats.

Naval crews have to maintain a state of constant alert in patrolling the seas around Taiwan, and protecting national security.

To the left the destroyer Yangtzu, and to the right the supply ship Wuyi.

The dome-shaped installation is the STIR control radar for guiding missiles.

Some of the weaponry on board a destroyer; the keg-shaped objects are depth charges, the cylindrical ones are torpedoes. To the right are missiles launchers.

Part of the Wuchin-3 combat system has recently been fitted to Yangtzu destroyers: the Phalanx.

An essential part of everyday training is the operation and maintenance of the warships.

The Chaparral missile, which is installed on main force worships.

The navy has been dubbed the "technological" armed force. Technology has a part in ship operation, weapons systems, and understanding meteorology and ocean currents.

It's work as usual on board, never mind how rough the seas are and how badly the boat gets thrown around.