ROKS Cheonan
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Cheonan maneuvering at sea.
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| History | |
|---|---|
 South Korea
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| Name: | ROKS Cheonan (天安/천안) |
| Namesake: | Cheonan |
| Builder: | |
| Launched: | January 1989 |
| Commissioned: | 1989 |
| Identification: | Pennant number PCC-772 |
| Fate: | Sunk on 26 March 2010 at 37°55′45″N 124°36′02″E / 37.92917°N 124.60056°ECoordinates: 37°55′45″N 124°36′02″E / 37.92917°N 124.60056°E |
| Status: |
Salvaged in April 2010. Now a memorial/museum ship in Pyeongtaek. |
| Notes: | |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type: | Pohang-class corvette |
| Displacement: | 1,200 tonnes |
| Length: | 88 m (289 ft) |
| Draft: | 2.9 m (9 ft 6 in) |
| Propulsion: | CODOG unit |
| Speed: |
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| Range: | 4,000 nautical miles (7,400 km) |
| Crew: | 104 |
| Armament: |
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| Notes: | |
Salvaged in April 2010.
ROKS Cheonan (PCC-772) was a Pohang-class corvette of the Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN), commissioned in 1989. On 26 March 2010, she broke in two and sank near the sea border with North Korea. An investigation conducted by an international team of experts from South Korea, United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and Sweden concluded that Cheonan was sunk by a torpedo launched by a North Korean Yeono-class miniature submarine. On 9 July 2010, the United Nations Security Council issued a Presidential Statement condemning the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea for the attack.
Cheonan was launched in November 1989 from Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea. The ship's primary mission was coastal patrol, with an emphasis on anti-submarine operations.Cheonan was one of the ships involved in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong in 1999. It is also known that the ship suffered slight damage on the stern in the First Battle of Yeonpyeong. The ship had been scheduled for decommissioning in 2019.
On 26 March 2010, an explosion occurred near the rear of Cheonan, causing the ship to break in two. The cause of this explosion was not immediately determined.
The 1,200 tonne ship started sinking at 21:20 local time (12:20 UTC) about 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off the south-west coast of Baengnyeong Island in the Yellow Sea. The island is located on the South Korean (ROK) side of the Northern Limit Line, the de facto boundary dividing South from North Korea (DPRK). The ship had a crew of 104 men at the time of sinking, and a total of 58 crew were rescued. Another 46 crew were unaccounted for. Cheonan's captain, Commander Choi Won-il, said that the ship broke into two and the stern sank within five minutes after the explosion and while he was still assessing the situation. On 17 April 2010, North Korea denied any involvement in the sinking of Cheonan.
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