A Republic of Korea Navy submarine has set sail on the longest trans-Pacific voyage ever attempted by a Korean submarine. The destination: Esquimalt, British Columbia.
The ROK Navy’s Dosan Ahn Changho, a KSS-III-class vessel, departed Jinhae Naval Base on March 25 for a bilateral naval exercise with Canada scheduled for June. It will make logistical stops in Guam and Hawaii before arriving in Victoria in late May. Two Royal Canadian Navy submariners will board in Hawaii and complete the crossing alongside the Korean crew.
What it is
The KSS-III is Korea’s first indigenously designed 3,000-ton-class submarine, built by Hanwha Ocean. It is not a new design on paper. Last year, a KSS-III spent a month conducting joint anti-submarine warfare exercises with the U.S. Navy in Guam. This voyage extends that operational track record considerably, covering open-ocean endurance at a scale the class hasn’t previously demonstrated.
The departure ceremony at Korea’s Submarine Command drew senior Korean defence officials and foreign representatives, including Canadian Ambassador Philippe Lafortune and UK Ambassador Colin Crooks. A seawater exchange ceremony was also held, with Korean seawater to be combined with Canadian seawater upon arrival.
Photo Credit: Republic of Korea Navy.
The procurement context
The timing of this deployment is not incidental. Canada is actively evaluating its future submarine capability, and the arrival of a KSS-III in Esquimalt will put a live, operational example of Hanwha Ocean’s product in front of Canadian naval officers, government officials, and defence industry stakeholders at the Royal Canadian Navy’s own West Coast home port.
Glenn Copeland, CEO of Hanwha Canada, was direct. The deployment, he said, demonstrates the submarine’s “ability to meet Canada’s underwater defence and security needs at the speed of delivery required” and Hanwha Ocean’s capacity to support “sovereign defence and sustainment capabilities in Canada through localization, transfer of technology, workforce development, and skills transfer.”
Lee Yong-cheol, South Korea’s Minister of the Defense Acquisition Program Administration, noted that “these kinds of operational deployments are critical in demonstrating not only naval capability and interoperability with NATO nations, but also the strength of Korea’s defence industry.”
At the March 25 send-off ceremony in Jinhae, Philippe Lafortune, Canadian Ambassador to Korea (second from
right), and Captain Lee Byung-il, Commanding Officer of the KSS-III (center, third from right), and Colin Crooks,
UK Ambassador to Korea (first on left), pose for a photo with ROK Navy officials. Photo Credit: Republic of Korea
Navy.
What to watch
When the Dosan Ahn Changho arrives in late May, a series of engagements and outreach activities are planned alongside the joint exercises. For Canadian industry and DND, the visit is worth tracking closely.
A submarine that completes a 14,000-kilometre trans-Pacific transit, integrates allied personnel mid-voyage, and arrives ready to exercise with Canadian forces will be a tangible data point in a procurement conversation that is only going to intensify.
Vanguard will have further coverage as the vessel approaches Canada.