Taiwan has launched its first-ever domestically built submarine.

President Tsai Ing-wen presided over a ceremony at the submarine’s shipyard in southern Kaohsiung city.

The ceremony, held on Thursday, September 28, 2023, was a significant personal moment for Tsai, who launched a flagship defense policy to build the first domestic submarine shortly after taking office in 2016.

In attendance at the ceremony, was the Head of the U.S.’s de facto embassy, Sandra Oudkirk, as well as the Japanese and Korean trade delegations based in Taiwan.

The submarine, named Hai Kun, or literally “Sea Kun,” is named for a type of fish found in Chinese literature called Kun.

It is named “Narwhal” in English and “Hai Kun” in Mandarin – which can be loosely translated as “sea monster.”

It took seven years of design and construction.

Tsai hailed the submarine as an accomplishment and a significant milestone as Taipei works to boost its military deterrence in the face of a growing threat from Beijing.

Tsai said at the ceremony, “In the past, a domestic made submarine was considered impossible, but today a submarine designed and built by our countrymen is in front of you.”

“The submarine is an important realization of our concrete commitment in defending our country. It is also important equipment for our naval forces in developing asymmetric warfare strategies.”
Tsai Ing-wen

Cheng Wen-lon, Head of Taiwan’s CSBC Corporation, which led the constructions of the submarine, said the process was “torturous.”

However, its completion marks an important milestone in Taiwan’s strategy of adopting asymmetric warfare.

“Although we have worked quietly the past several years, it doesn’t mean the process was very smooth,” he said at the ceremony held in CSBC’s shipyard.

Submarine To Go Through Tests

After years of construction and design, the prototype will begin a test in the harbor before being tested in the ocean.

The submarine, if successful in its tests, will be a major breakthrough for Taiwan in shipbuilding and design.

It will only be handed over to the military after passing both its harbor and ocean-faring tests. Taiwan plans to build another submarine if successful, with both to be deployed by 2027, according to the semi-official Central News Agency.

Journalists were given a tour inside the submarine’s shipyard but were not allowed to take close-up photos for security reasons.

Taiwan began the expensive and time-consuming task of building its own submarines after Beijing successfully prevented it from purchasing such craft from abroad through the use of economic and diplomatic threats.

In recent years, China has stepped up its military exercises aimed at the island, sending fighter jets and navy vessels to patrol and hold drills in the waters and skies near Taiwan.

Taiwanese defense chiefs hope the submarines would help to make it far harder for a potential invasion by China, which claims the island as its territory and has ramped up its saber-rattling in recent years.

With the addition of “Narwhal”, Taiwan will have a total of three submarines by 2025 – it already has two Dutch-made submarines that were first commissioned in the 1980s.

Taiwan previously disclosed that it plans to build a total of eight indigenous submarines.