Navy censured over incident involving loss of 3 submariners at sea

Taipei, Dec. 19 (CNA) The Control Yuan on Thursday censured the Navy Command Headquarters for its handling of an incident that resulted in the loss of three submariners at sea last year.

When a safety buoy fell from the Hai Hu submarine during a training mission last year, the Navy did not have the proper operational guidelines to address the issue, the government watchdog said in a statement.

It also underestimated the risks involved in retrieving the buoy, as wave surges in Taiwan's southwestern waters are hard to predict, the Control Yuan said.

At the time, six sailors serving on board the Hai Hu, or Sea Tiger, were ordered to assist in carrying out the retrieval south of Liuqiu, Pingtung County, after the submarine surfaced.

All six submariners were swept overboard and the bodies of three -- a master chief petty officer surnamed Lin (林), and two petty officers surnamed Yen (顏) and Chang (張) -- were never found.

A search for the missing men was subsequently called off and a memorial ceremony held in their honor on June 30 presided over by President Lai Ching-te (賴清德).

Following an initial probe of the incident in late December 2023, the Navy said that sudden waves and the deforming of buckles tethering crew members to the Hai Hu's deck were likely to blame for the incident.

In February, the Navy issued a statement saying equipment and environmental reasons and not human error were to blame for the loss of three submariners at sea, and that it would not punish any of the Hai Hu's crew after an investigation determined that the boat's captain had made the correct decision to retrieve the safety buoy.

Control Yuan members Lai Ting-ming (賴鼎銘), Wang Li-jen (王麗珍) and Hsiao Tzu-yu (蕭自佑) said although the Navy has established a series of inspection protocols, including monthly checks, quarterly checks and routine maintenance, they were not always implemented, which clearly indicated negligence.

They also criticized the Navy for taking too long to dispatch a helicopter to conduct search and rescue operations, and noted that improvements must be made.

Meanwhile, the Control Yuan urged the Navy to review its equipment, as relevant procurement documents only include a certificate of compliance issued by the original manufacturer, without third-party verification by an accredited testing firm.