this post was submitted on 22 May 2025
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53
DPRK investigates launch accident of its second 5000-ton destroyer warship, finds that it will require 10 days to repair (hexbear.net)
submitted 17 hours ago by dead@hexbear.net to c/news@hexbear.net
13 comments fedilink hide all child comments
 

Investigation into Destroyer Launch Accident Intensified

Pyongyang, May 23 (KCNA) -- An investigation group of the destroyer launch accident got down to a full-scale investigation into the serious accident occurred at the Chongjin Shipyard.

The accident investigation group included a public prosecutors organ and relevant experts.

Detailed underwater and internal inspection of the warship confirmed that, unlike the initial announcement, there were no holes made at the warship's bottom, the hull starboard was scratched and a certain amount of seawater flowed into the stern section through the rescue channel.

Experts estimated that it will take two or three days to keep the balance of the warship by pumping up the seawater from the flooded chamber and making the bow leave the slipway and 10-odd days to restore the warship's side.

The accident investigation group reported the relevant investigation content to the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea on May 22.

The Party Central Military Commission gave the following stand and instructions to the investigation group:

The extent of damage to the warship is not serious and the result of the flooding process immediately after the accident is only information necessary to take practical rehabilitation measures. The above-said data have no connection with the cause of the accident and the identification of its responsibility.

It is necessary to make clear the cause of the accident.

The Party Central Military Commission instructed the investigation group to investigate and expose the cause of the accident which should never occur and could not be tolerated and those responsible for it.

No matter how good the state of the warship is, the fact that the accident is an unpardonable criminal act remains unchanged, and those responsible for it can never evade their responsibility for the crime.

Regarding this accident as a serous matter is not because of the damage to the warship or economic loss. The aim of doing so is to deal a telling blow to incautiousness, irresponsibility and unscientific empiricist attitude prevailing in any field and to sound an alarm bell.

On the basis of the investigation data of the accident investigation group, the law-enforcement organ started to follow the procedure for first restraining and investigating those who are clearly responsible for the accident.

Hong Kil Ho, manager of the Chongjin Shipyard, was summoned to the law-enforcement organ on May 22. -0-
www.kcna.kp (2025.05.23.)

http://kcna.kp/en/article/q/a6981124e6d4bac2a1824e9ec3468c3c.kcmsf

https://archive.is/FjiEB (kcna)

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/north-korea-intensifies-probe-into-accident-during-recent-launch-warship-kcna-2025-05-22/

https://archive.is/aCUsv (reuters)

previous post https://hexbear.net/post/4992851

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[–] Le_Wokisme@hexbear.net 6 points 10 hours ago (2 children)

still don't understand why side launches are a good idea. i thought flooding and/or pumping out a dry dock was standard for this sort of thing

[–] luddybuddy@hexbear.net 2 points 3 hours ago

Here’s my mostly conjecture answer, based on a) being a structural engineer with no experience in Naval Architecture and b) watching lots of videos of boats go sploosh:

Boats are usually built in large buildings or outside, on level ground. Drydocks are sunk below ground, and they’re expensive. So using them for the long process of building a ship is a hard sell, both for opportunity cost and getting people and material to the boat.

Boats are heavy, so you can’t just take one off the floor and lower it into a dock. That’s why they don’t use drydocks for the first launch of a boat.

There is an alternative, called a marine railway. These are huge rails that slope gradually into the ocean, which you can launch a boat stern in, instead of side in. TBH, I don’t know why side launches are chosen instead of stern launches with marine railways.

[–] blobjim@hexbear.net 4 points 8 hours ago

because it looks cool

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 12 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (3 children)

Satellite imagery shows that the ship has almost split in two, and that blue tarps were put over the wreckage to try hide the damage. Not sure how that gets repaired in 10 days. As long as the keel is intact, it should be salvageable though. It's unclear from the images what the state of the keel is.

[–] dead@hexbear.net 13 points 12 hours ago (1 children)

Not sure how that gets repaired in 10 days.

Juche Necromancy

I'm not really qualified to interpret a blurry satellite image. Yesterday, DPRK said there were holes in the hull. Today, DPRK says that the ship was only scratched. I'm hoping for the best.

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 5 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

Yeah the image is too blurry to come to a conclusion other than a big screw up occurred that's going to take a lot of effort to fix. We'll see what happens. I wonder how many of these guided missile destroyers the DPRK plan to make. I find it interesting that they're making them in the first place, same with the nuclear submarines. More ballistic and cruise missile launch platforms? Things like their new AWACS plane, I understand more why they'd want that capability.

[–] junebug2@hexbear.net 5 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 11 hours ago) (1 children)

the second image especially looks to me like the ship is lying on one side. what do you mean by split in two? is it the tarps at the right/ upper part of the images? i don’t want to disagree with your analysis, i just don’t see it

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 11 points 11 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago) (1 children)

I say almost split in two (key word almost), because one half of the ship is still on dry land, while the other is in the water, with a elevation difference. The torsion force on the ship that occurred during the failed launch would've been quite large, and there is still a major imbalance currently, one part of the ship on land, one suspended in mid-air, and the other in the water. That's not something that the ship would've been designed for. It can still be recovered as long as the keel, the "backbone" of the ship on the bottom of the hull, is still intact, but I think 10 days is optimistic.

CGI rendering of the ship's position;

[–] junebug2@hexbear.net 6 points 10 hours ago* (last edited 10 hours ago)

thank you comrade, i had thought those tarps by the shore might have covered ramps to the ship or something. now that you say it, i can see the prow is on the dock. definitely not a great place for a boat to be

[–] Horse@lemmygrad.ml 8 points 13 hours ago* (last edited 13 hours ago) (1 children)

oof, that ship is done
broken back is pretty much a death sentence

[–] MarmiteLover123@hexbear.net 11 points 13 hours ago

It all depends on if the keel is intact or not. As you said, if it's gone, it's a complete loss. If the keel is intact and structurally sound, it should be salvageable, but 10 days is quite an optimistic time frame.

[–] Finger@hexbear.net 23 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

My guys are on it. I've pulled surveillance teams off all the low priority targets to cover it. The trap is set. CIA shows up, they go down.

[–] Awoo@hexbear.net 19 points 15 hours ago* (last edited 15 hours ago)

Oopsie. Fortunate that nobody was hurt? A lot of these failed launches have killed people in the past.