The destroyer was to be the pride of Pyongyang and a symbol of the modernization of the North Korean Navy. However, during the attempt to launch on May 21, there was a failure. A ship with a displacement of 5,000 The tone tilted and slid into the water in front of Kim Jong Una himself. The colossus hit the port swimming pool, which made part of its DNA dent.
According to Kcna's state media, the water got on the stern, which requires quick repair. The leader of North Korea described the accident as a “criminal deed” and issued an order that the ship would be repaired in front of the Plenary Session of the Workers' Party planned at the end of June. He also ordered the arrest of the Shipyard management in Chongjin. Four people have been detained so far, including the main engineer.
According to satellite photos, from May 23, several dozen white objects were arranged around the destroyer, which look like balloons. When asked by the CNN station, experts speculate that they may be smaller versions of aerostatic aircraft, reminiscent of controls.
Yu Yong-Weon, a South Korean military analyst, claims that balloons may have the task of stopping the ship from further flooding, instead of lifting it from the water. In turn, Carl Schuster, a retired Navy captain of the United States, told CNN that such a solution can protect the ship against spy drones or reduce pressure on the most damaged part of the fuselage.
At the same time, Schuster notices that no other displacement elements have been installed around the destroyer that support the submerged hull. In his opinion, the North Korean industry may not be advanced enough to use such techniques.
“It is highly likely that the ship is under heavy load, and lifting in advance can intensify stress,” Nick Childs, a maritime security specialist at the International Institute of Strategic Studies, said his fears.
They have 10 days for repair. Experts talk about the darkest scenario
According to North Korean media, the repair is to take about 10 days, but the analysts remain skeptical of these estimates. Carl Schuster points out that the operation may require up to six months, taking into account the scale of hull damage and the influence of salinity on the metal surface of the ship.
An additional complication is the unusual location of the ship – the partly immersed stern and beak immobilized on land hinder traditional rescue methods. Decker Evelet, an analyst at CNA, emphasizes that the most difficult scenario has been fulfilled, and an attempt to extract the sunken part can be fractured by a keel, resulting in irreversible damage to the ship.
Childs adds that North Korea may be forced to dismantle the ship into pieces to facilitate its removal from the dock. – Very often the only way (…) is to disassemble at least a part of the ship to facilitate the operation – he said in an interview with CNN. In his opinion, such a strategy may end with a complete scrapping of the destroyer.
