Republic of China Navy 中華民國海軍 Zhōnghuá Mínguó Hǎijūn |
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Active | 1924–present |
Country | Republic of China |
Type | Navy |
Size | 38,000 personnel 117 Ships 28 Aircraft |
Part of | Republic of China Armed Forces |
Colors | white |
Fleet | 4 Destroyer 20 Frigate 31 Missile boat 3 Submarine 1 Corvette 12 Patrol ship 9 Minesweeper 10 Landing Ship, Tank (10 Auxiliaries) |
Website | navy.mnd.gov.tw (English) |
Commanders | |
Commander of the Republic of China Navy | Admiral Huang Shu-kuang (黃曙光) |
Deputy Commander of the Republic of China Navy | Vice-Admiral Kao Tien-chung (高天忠) |
Deputy Commander of the Republic of China Navy | Vice-Admiral Pan Chin-lung (潘進隆) |
Insignia | |
Ensign | |
Jack |
The Republic of China Navy (ROCN; Chinese: 中華民國海軍; pinyin: Zhōnghuá Mínguó Hǎijūn) is the maritime branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces. The ROC Navy's primary mission is to defend ROC territories and the sea lanes that surround Taiwan against a blockade, attack, or possible invasion by the People's Liberation Army Navy of the People's Republic of China. Operations include maritime patrols in the Taiwan Strait and surrounding waters, as well as counter-strike and counter-invasion operations during wartime. The Republic of China Marine Corps functions as a branch of the Navy.
The ship prefix for ROCN combatants is ROCS (Republic of China Ship); an older usage is CNS (Chinese Navy Ship).
Sources:
The precursor to the modern ROC Navy was established as the Ministry of the Navy in the Provisional Government of the Republic of China in 1911 following the overthrow of the Qing dynasty. During the period of warlordism that scarred China in the 1920s and 1930s the ROCN remained loyal to the Kuomintang government of Sun Yat-sen instead of the warlord government in Beijing. During that time and throughout World War II, the ROCN concentrated mainly on riverine warfare as the poorly equipped ROCN was not a match to Imperial Japanese Navy over ocean or coast.
Following World War II, a number of Japanese destroyers and decommissioned U.S. ships were transferred to the ROC Navy. During the Chinese Civil War, the ROCN was involved in the protection of supply convoys and the withdrawal of the ROC Government and over 1 million refugees to Taiwan in 1949. The subsequent reorganization and reestablishment of the Navy after evacuation to Taiwan is referenced in the lyrics of the post 1949 ROC Navy Song "The New Navy" (新海軍).