Seoul, Korea
CNN
–
North Korea has said it has successfully replicated the new destroyer that capsized at launch last month, with state media reporting that the damaged vessel will be moving to another shipyard dry dock for repairs.
“After regaining the balance of the destroyers in the beginning of June, the team was moored at the pier by safely finishing on Thursday afternoon,” a report from the state-run Korea Central News Agency (KCNA) states.
Satellite photos taken by Planet Labs on June 5 showed the ship that was once attacked to the right, appearing to float in the water from the pier where the tragic launch took place.
The 5,000-ton destroyer was the country’s latest warship and was intended to be a victory in North Korea’s ambitious naval modernization efforts.
Instead, a malfunction in the launch mechanism on May 21 caused the stern to slip into the water early, crushing parts of the hull, leaving the ship tied to the ship, reported at the time. A day later, state media reported that the damage was not as bad as it was initially feared.
Meanwhile, North Korean leader Kim Jong, who witnessed a failed launch in the northeastern city of Jeongjin, called it a “criminal act” and said the government quickly arrested four people who claimed they were responsible for the fire.
Kim ordered the authorities to quickly repair an unseen ship before the ruling Workers’ Party in late June, calling it a matter of national honor.
KCNA reported on Friday that Kim’s goals will be met.
“The elaborate restoration of the next stage will be done at the dry dock at the Razindockyard for seven to ten days,” KCNA reported, and John Chun Lyon, of the Central Committee, who leads the repair efforts, said “a complete restoration of the destroyer will certainly be completed.”
We thought that the rapid action to rebuilt the ship would take more time, based on satellite images of the accident.
“Let’s face it with pure talent, an innovative approach to correcting the ship. People like me didn’t expect 4-6 people and we delivered the solution in two weeks.”
An innovative approach was clearly to use pneumatic balloons attached to the ship’s hull to help balance and re-float, satellite image showed.
Damage to the hull was less severe than analysts expected when they saw what happened on May 21.
The warship’s stern slipped into the water while the bow stayed on land during the launch next to the ship, which was to slide into the water sideways.
Analysts believed that the stress placed on the hull and keel during such an accident could potentially lead to its disposal.
But “the hull damage must have been significantly less than estimated,” Schuster said.
Schuster said that if North Korea could devote the same effort to repair the warship internally, he was ready for a sea trial he would have thought of after the accident, just as he did to fill it.
He said the interior space of the ship, machinery and electronics, would need to cleanse the seawater and dry salt in the repair process.
“If you’re willing to commit resources and have the human talent to adopt them, almost everything is feasible,” Schuster said.