Hangar space for up to three medium-sized helicopters
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen addresses sailors from the fantail of Pan ShihROCN Panshih (AOE-532) shipped at No.3 East Pier of Zuoying Naval Base
The Panshih-class fast combat support ship (磐石級補給艦)[1] is a single-ship class of the Republic of China Navy used to refuel, rearm, and resupply ROC Navy and allied ships.[2] The class is named for Pan Shih mountain in Hualien County.
Primarily a supply and support vessel, the Pan Shih class also has military transport, maritime rescue, and humanitarian assistance capabilities. The vessel has a significant medical wing with an operating theater, a dental room, three regular wards and an isolation ward.[4] The class has the ability to refuel two ships at once and will help the Republic of China Navy to project power around the globe, particularly in the humanitarian assistance disaster relief (HADR) role. Taiwan has few enemies; barring war with the People's Republic of China, the class will most likely only be used for military operations other than war.[5]
On 18 April 2020, Minister of Health and WelfareChen Shih-chung reported that three naval cadets, interning on one of the ships on diplomatic mission to Palau, had tested positive for coronavirus.[a][7] All three cadets were in their 20s, with one case showing symptoms as early as 12 April before seeking medical attention on 15 April, when the ship returned to Taiwan.[7] There were 337 people aboard the same ship as the cadets.[7] Over 700 sailors serving in the three-ship fleet have been placed in quarantine.[8]
A Dunmu fleet (Navy port call diplomatic mission fleet) is formed annually, and this iteration of the Dunmu fleet was formed on 20 February 2020 consisting of the following three ships:
The three cadets had boarded the ship on 21 February, and the fleet left Zuoying Naval Base [zh] on 5 March 2020 for a goodwill visit with Palau.[7][9][6] The fleet stayed at Palau from 12 March to 15 March 2020, although the size restrictions at the port in Palau meant that only Kang Ding entered the port.[9] After departing Palau, the fleet remained at sea for roughly a month before returning to Zuoying Naval Base on 15 April.[b][6][9]
On 19 April, Taiwan announced that a further 21 sailors of the Dunmu fleet had tested positive, bringing the total number of cases to 24.[10] All 24 cases were found aboard Pan Shi.[11]
The goodwill mission has been criticized for pictures of sailors not wearing masks appearing on social media.[11] Vice Admiral Mei Chia-Shu [zh], Navy Deputy Commander, stated that as Palau had no reported cases of coronavirus at the time, such a decision was made after consulting with Taiwan's embassy in Palau.[11] In response to the outbreak Taiwan's Navy deployed quick Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests for COVID-19 aboard major vessels.[12]
^Taiwan has numbered them Cases 396, 397, and 398.[6]
^One source mentions that the fleet actually returned to the base on 9 April 2020, and the soldiers were placed in isolation for six days before they were allowed to disembark on 15 April.[9] It is unclear whether the ship docked before, during, or after the isolation period.
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