The ''Chungmu'' class was a class of 3 destroyers in the

Republic of Korea Navy The Republic of Korea Navy (ROKN; ko, 대한민국 해군), also known as the ROK Navy or South Korean Navy, is the naval warfare service branch of the South Korean armed forces, responsible for naval and amphibious operations. The ROK Navy ...

. They entered service in 1963, with the last one being decommissioned in 1989.

History

South Korea received three destroyers of the ''Fletcher'' class for the Republic of Korea Navy from the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

in 1963 as part of the American Military Assistance Program. This was the first destroyer class of the Republic of Korea Navy. While the ''Gwanggaeto the Great''-class destroyer were Korea's first domestically built destroyers, ships of the Chungmu class, were the first destroyers to serve in the Republic of Korea Navy. The class consisted of three destroyers used by the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

and slightly modernized in electronics and weaponry at the beginning of the 1950s. They were once magnificent ships, which throughout the 1960s constituted the backbone of the Republic of Korea Navy. Eventually, they were replaced in escort duties by the ''Chungbuk'' class destroyers in the mid to late 1980s. However, they remained in service until well into the 1980s, by which point they were quite obsolete. They were all leased until 1977 then bought by the navy. They were all put out of service between 1982 and 1993.

Characteristics

Before the takeover, the ships were modernized considerably. All 20 mm Oerlikon cannons were removed while the two quad and one twin 40 mm Bofors guns remained. The electronics were modernized and the mast was replaced by a

tripod mast The tripod mast is a type of mast used on warships from the Edwardian era onwards, replacing the pole mast. Tripod masts are distinctive using two large (usually cylindrical) support columns spread out at angles to brace another (usually vertical ...

. All ships were retrofitted with two triple Mark 44 torpedo tubes on each side of the ship.

Ships in the class

Citations

{{Portal bar, South Korea, Engineering Destroyer classes Fletcher-class destroyers of the Republic of Korea Navy Ships transferred from the United States Navy to the Republic of Korea Navy