By Li Qiang
Taiwan's first new multimission amphibious warship Yushan was launched on April 13, which could carry troops and equipment to its offshore and South China Sea islands, and conduct surface warfare missions with anti-ship missiles, according to the US media.
However, some military experts of Chinese mainland believe that the ship's self-defense firepower is relatively weak, which makes its wartime survival difficult. Furthermore, no matter what battleships the Taiwan military wants to purchase while dreaming on "resisting reunification by force," they are doomed to failure.
Taiwan's new multimission amphibious warship launched
Defense News reported that the ship Yushan displaces 10,600 tons when fully loaded and measures 152 meters, with a hull draught of 20 feet. The top speed of the ship is said to be 21 knots with a range of 7,000 miles. The island’s defense authorities said that the ship Yushan could accommodate up to 673 troops, and its vehicle deck can carry AAV7 tracked amphibious vehicles. The ship is scheduled to enter service in 2022 following final construction and sea trials with the builder. Taiwan has a requirement for four amphibious dock transport ships of this class to replace the current amphibious fleet.
The Chinese mainland also has a ship named “Yushan”
Tsai Ing-wen said at a ceremony in Kaohsiung that the launch of Taiwan's first locally-built amphibious transport dock ship marks a milestone in Taiwan's shipbuilding history and would greatly enhance the capabilities of the navy, according to a report published by the Taipei Times. It is named after Yushan, the highest mountain in Taiwan, symbolizing that the navy in the region “is not afraid of dangers, always ascending and pursuing excellence."
Intriguingly, the PLA Navy also has a Yushan (Hull 944) landing ship. However, the PLA’s Yushan ship is named after the Yushan County in Jiangxi Province, not the Yushan in Taiwan.
The building of any vessel is doomed to get Taiwan nowhere
Song Zhongping, a mainland military expert, said that in current sensitive period, the launch of the Yushan will not help ease the situation in the Taiwan Strait. If Taiwan military wants to use it to resist reunification by force, they will find it not able to play any role or pose any threat to the PLA.
Song said that Taiwan military now has no desire to attack the mainland. This type of amphibious warship may not be of much use. Even if being used to perform some transportation tasks among the islands, the warship needs large-scale wharf, which is obviously not cost-effective for Taiwan. Under the current circumstances, the Taiwan military's attempts to "resist reunification by force" through buying and building ships are probably all in vain finally.
