Kaohsiung: Taiwan’s first indigenous submarine, the Narwhal, also known as Hai Kun in Chinese, began its sixth sea trial on Monday, drawing many military enthusiasts to Kaohsiung Harbor. Fans were seen waving the Republic of China (Taiwan) flag and holding banners to show support for the submarine project.
According to Focus Taiwan, the submarine sailed out to sea from CSBC Corp., Taiwan’s shipyard, for its sixth sea trial, or sea acceptance test (SAT). The SAT is a formal series of trials conducted at sea to evaluate whether a newly built or significantly upgraded ship meets its contractual performance specifications before it is delivered to the customer.
CSBC, the main contractor for the prototype of the Narwhal, completed the fifth SAT for the submarine on Nov. 28 last year.