Ginam-class frigate
 DChD Ginam as commissioned in 1981
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| Class overview | |
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| Name: | Ginam class |
| Builders: |
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| Operators: | Menghe |
| Preceded by: | Mugunghwa-class corvette |
| Succeeded by: |
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| Built: | 1978-1985 |
| In service: | 1980-present |
| Completed: | 8 |
| General characteristics (as built) | |
| Type: | frigate |
| Displacement: |
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| Length: |
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| Beam: | 13.7 m (waterline) |
| Draft: | 5.45 m (to keel) |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 29 knots |
| Range: | 5,000 nautical miles (9,200 km) at 14 knots |
| Complement: |
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| Armament: | |
The Ginam-class frigates are a group of warships built in Menghe during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though often identified as Frigates in the West, in Menghe they were variously known as Large ASW Patrol Ships, Medium ASW Patrol Ships, and Large Patrol Ships, going through two official reclassifications during their service lives. Eight ships were built in total, and all were scrapped during the 2010s.
The ships of the Ginam class were intended for independent blue- or green-water anti-submarine patrols, rather than service as fleet escorts. As such, their sensors and weapons were heavily specialized for anti-submarine missions, and they carried very little anti-air or anti-surface armament.
Development
In the 1970s, the mainstay of the DPRM's anti-submarine patrol force was made up of Banjihwa-class and Mugunghwa-class medium anti-submarine patrol ships. The Mugunghwas had dipping sonar for detection of submarines below the thermocline, but could only deploy the dipping sonar while stationary. This forced the ships to operate in pairs, and limited their ability to pursue or shadow a moving submarine.
In order to correct this problem, Menghean engineers began work on a variable-depth sonar assembly, which could be towed behind a moving ship while operational. Two Mugunghwa-class ships were converted to trials ships for this towed sonar system, which was declared operational in 1978. Yet even with plans underway to refit all Mugunghwa-class ships with the new sonar system, the legacy hulls still had poor endurance and seaworthiness, especially with much of their crew and storage space converted to towed-array sonar storage. As such, Menghean engineers began work on a new vessel which would have improved anti-submarine capabilities and longer endurance.
The designers also added squadron-size command facilities within the ship's hull, allowing one vessel to coordinate the movements of several Banjihwa-class and Mugunghwa-class corvettes. This included a D-104 datalinking system to transfer target track information to other anti-submarine ships, even if those ships were moving too quickly to use their hull sonar or variable-depth sonar.
The final design, designated Plan 314, was approved in 1977, with the first hull laid down on February 10, 1978. To reflect its increased capabilities (variable-depth sonar, helicopter hangar, command stations) it was designated as a large anti-submarine patrol ship, acronym DChD, despite being much smaller than previous Menghean DChD designs which never progressed past the drawing board.
Design
As built
Like their precursors, the Ginam-class vessels were intended as anti-submarine patrol vessels, not well-rounded escort ships. Menghean naval doctrine called for them to avoid patrolling areas with an enemy air or surface presence, and to operate with a Nunbora-class destroyer as escort if necessary. As such, their armament and capabilities were heavily focused on anti-submarine missions.
The ship's sonar outfit consists of a hull-mounted Type 78 sonar and a variable-depth Type 77 sonar. These are Menghean licensed versions of the Letnian MG-332 "Titan-2" and MG-325 "Vega," respectively. Anti-submarine armament consists of eight 533mm torpedo tubes in two quadruple mounts. These are capable of firing two-stage homing torpedoes with a wire-guided initial stage. For close-range defense, the ships carry two RBU-6000 anti-submarine rocket launchers, which can fire both small depth charges and torpedo decoys. A single helicopter hangar aft supports a Gyundoan-Han GH-28 Ppulsoeori, of the GH-28N anti-submarine variant.
For self-defense, the Ginam-class ships carry two aft-facing AK-630 CIWS turrets, both slaved to a single MR-104 fire-control radar. A single HP-100/1 autoloading 100mm turret covers the frontal arc. On each side, flanking the helicopter hangar, the ship carries a four-tube turret launching the YDG-34 surface-to-air missile, a man-portable system with a range of 4.1 kilometers.
Propulsion comes from a CODOG powerplant, with two domestically built Type 79 diesel engines for cruising and two Type 77 turbines for sprinting. The turbines are derived from the M-2 gas turbines licensed with the Jangmi-class (Petya-class) corvettes.
Refits
During the 1990s, the Menghean Navy considered several plans to refit the Ginam-class ships for a mid-life service extension. Designers mulled plans to add a surface-to-air missile system, such as an eight-missile YDG-36 launcher and magazine forward of the bridge, but these plans were rejected as they would increase manpower requirements while reducing the space for crew accommodations. Likewise, plans to add YDH-24 anti-ship missile boxes were rejected as the only feasible location for the launch boxes would require removing the torpedo tubes.
Instead, the standard mid-life refit for the Ginam-class frigate involved minor electronic and sensor updates. The torpedo tubes were refitted to support the UGST wire-guided torpedo and HŎ-2 anti-submarine rocket, with datalinks on the forward mast providing mid-course guidance for the latter. Baram-1 launchers were added forward of the bridge, with limited firing arcs, and the YDG-34 launchers were replaced with YDG-38 launchers, still with four tubes on each mount. SATCOM domes flanking the funnel allowed these ships to communicate with Menghe's slow-growing network of communication satellites and relay information to other ships in their formation.
The first two ships to be refitted, DChJ-652 Buchŏn and DChJ-653 Hanrim, retained the HRDJ Type 75 I-band periscope detection radar of the original fit. DChJ-654 Sŏnggi, DChJ-655 Yŏn'gi, and DChJ-656 Oju were instead refitted with the HR-44G search radar, which, in addition to detecting periscopes and submarine sensor masts more reliably, can also detect incoming anti-ship missiles and low-flying aircraft at a range of 20 kilometers. Sŏnggi was the first operational Menghean warship to be fitted with this radar system, which became commonplace on Menghean warships of the 2000s and early 2010s.
In the mid-2000s, the five Ginam-class frigates still in Navy service underwent minor refits. The main changes were the addition of datalinks and radio antennas to communicate with the newer generation of Menghean Navy ships and aircraft, which had switched to a different datalink system with the availability of foreign equipment in 2001, and the addition of box launchers for YDH-26 anti-ship missiles. These box launchers were added forward of the bridge in two sets of two boxes, echoing the placement of the YDH-24 missile boxes on the Chanjok Jachido-class cruisers. This required moving the Baram-1 chaff and flare launchers to new positions aft of the torpedo tubes, which in turn required moving the HBDJ-6/7 anti-frogman rocket launchers to the foredeck.
Coast Guard service
The Menghean Navy retired Ginam in 1994, at which time she was still classified as a large ASW patrol ship and lacked a permanent hull number. Her sister ship Chasŏ joined her the following year, just a few months after receiving the permanent hull number DChJ-650. That year, both ships were transferred to the Menghean Maritime Border Security Force, the precursor to today's Menghean Maritime Security Force. Their MANPADS launchers were removed, but shoulder-launched MANPADS tubes could be stored in onboard lockers; they no longer received sailors to staff their sonar battle stations, but the sonar equipment was retained. In war, these ships could be reactivated for anti-submarine patrol duties, but in peacetime they would be cheaper to operate and would not appear on the Navy's budget. Only Ginam and Chasŏ were transferred in this way, receiving the hull numbers 4000 and 4001 respectively.
Classification
When they were first planned and built, the Ginam-class warships were the largest dedicated anti-submarine vessels in Menghe, and the only ones to carry a helicopter hangar and a small command facility for directing other ASW vessels. As such, they were initially classified as Large ASW Patrol Ships (대형 대잠수함 초계함 / 大型對潛水艦哨戒艦, Daehyŏng Dae-jamsuham Chogyeham), or DChD.
In 1994, Menghe commissioned the Large ASW Patrol Ship Chanjok Jachido, which was much comparable in size and facilities to a cruiser. Owing to the large difference between ships of the same type, the Ginam-class vessels were reclassified as Medium ASW Patrol Ships (중형 대잠수함 초계함 / 中型對潛水艦哨戒艦, Junghyŏng Daejamsuham Chogyeham), or DChJ. In tandem, the remaining Mugunghwa-class corvettes were reclassified as Small ASW Patrol Ships. The existing Small ASW Patrol Ships, all of them obsolete, were scheduled for scrapping.
Another re-designation came in the late 1990s and early 2000s, when the more capable Ansa-class frigates began entering service. After turning down plans to thoroughly rebuild the Ginam-class vessels for better anti-air and anti-ship capabilities, the Menghean Navy transferred them to the Maritime Patrol Forces, where they were re-designated as Large Patrol Ships (대형 초계함 / 大型哨戒艦, Daehyŏng Chogyeham) or DCh. The sonar equipment was retained, as was HŎ-2 compatibility, allowing the ships to be pressed into reserve service in wartime. Mounting positions for two twin YDH-26 anti-ship missile boxes were also added, but left empty on regular service.
Ships in the class
A total of eight Ginam-class ships were built, of eight planned. Six were ordered from the Gyŏngsan Songsu-do Naval Yard at Songsu-do Naval Base, while the remaining two were ordered from the Kimhae Naval Yard in Donggyŏng. All eight ships were named after Menghean prefectures, following the same naming conventions as the contemporary Yobu-class destroyers.
| Name | Mengja | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ginam | 畿南 | Gyŏngsan | 1978 Feb 10 | 1979 Aug 29 | 1980 Oct 06 | -- |
| Chasŏ | 叉西 | Gyŏngsan | 1978 Sep 22 | 1980 Feb 16 | 1981 Jan 30 | -- |
| Myryŏng | 木岭 | Gyŏngsan | 1979 Nov 05 | 1980 Apr 27 | 1981 Oct 15 | -- |
| Buchŏn | 涪川 | Gyŏngsan | 1980 Feb 23 | 1981 Aug 18 | 1982 Apr 05 | -- |
| Hanrim | 翰林 | Gyŏngsan | 1980 May 03 | 1981 Nov 17 | 1982 Sep 16 | -- |
| Sŏnggi | 星居 | Kimhae | 1980 Jul 17 | 1982 Apr 14 | 1983 Mar 08 | -- |
| Yŏn'gi | 燕岐 | Gyŏngsan | 1981 Aug 27 | 1983 Mar 30 | 1983 Dec 01 | -- |
| Oju | 梧州 | Kimhae | 1982 Apr 29 | 1984 Mar 15 | 1985 May 12 | -- |