The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) delivered the submarine rescue ship (ASR-II) Ganghwa-do to the South Korean Navy on November 1 at Hanwha Ocean Co., Ltd. in Geoje, Gyeongsangnam-do.
The Ganghwa-do, whose construction contract was signed in December 2018, was delivered following a groundbreaking ceremony in 2020. This delivery completes the Navy's rescue force with a total of four ships, enhancing rescue operation capabilities alongside the existing surface rescue ships Tongyeong-ham and Gwangyang-ham, and submarine rescue ships Cheonghae-jin-ham and Ganghwa-do-ham.
The Ganghwa-do class features improvements over the previous Cheonghae-jin class, including increased dimensions and operational days, rising from approximately 190 to around 350 days per year. Designed to launch and recover deep-sea rescue vehicles (DSRVs) through a center well, the Ganghwa-do is less impacted by adverse weather conditions compared to the Cheonghae-jin, which relies on a stern-mounted crane.