South Korean Navy in Hamburg

Visit by two South Korean naval vessels to the Hanseatic city

The training ship ROKS HANSANDO and the supply vessel ROKS HWACHEON will visit the Hanseatic city for the first time and offer Open Ship from 29 to 31 October 2023.  Arriving from Halifax/Canada, both ships of the South Korean navy will moor at the overseas bridge at around 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, 29 October 2023.

Ship christening in Ulsan/South Korea: training ship ROKS "Hansando". Photo: Hyundai Heavy Industries

The ROKS HANSANDO is a training ship that will enter service in 2021, is 142 metres long and 25 metres wide and has a hybrid drive. In addition to a regular crew of around 120, there can be up to 300 student officers on board. All cadets are in their third year of training and are gaining intensive professional experience, as the bridge, operations centre, armament and engine rooms are duplicated. In addition to a helicopter deck and hangar, the crew also has access to conference rooms and a simulation computer. An infirmary, medical operating theatre and an isolation chamber for combating viruses and epidemics are also on board, which is why the ROKS HANSANDO can also be used as a hospital ship.

ROK "Hwacheon" (AOE 59) rapid deployment supply ship. Photo: U.S. Navy/D.Quinlan

The second ship of the South Korean navy to moor in Hamburg is the supply vessel ROKS HWACHEON (AOE 59, Cheonji class - effectively an EGV). The ship was commissioned in 1998, also has a helicopter deck and is around 134 metres long and 18 metres wide. Before both ships leave the Hanseatic city for Portsmouth/GB at around 3 p.m. on 1 November 2023, the commanders and crew members will experience various events on land organised by the Hamburg State Command. Another highlight will be the ceremonial handover of a historic cannon from the South Korean navy to the International Maritime Museum Hamburg on 31 October 2023 at 10:00 am.

The Korean ships offer the following open ship times:
Sunday, 29 October 2023, 11:30 - 16:30 (last admission: 16:00)
Monday, 30 October 2023, 10:00 - 14:00 (last admission: 13:30)
Tuesday, 31 October 2023, 10:00 - 16:00 (last admission: 15:30)

From a press release issued by the Hamburg State Command on 19 October