Chungbuk-class destroyer

The Chungbuk-class was a class of 7 destroyers, formerly the United States' Gearing-class destroyer, that were transferred to and commissioned by the Republic of Korea Navy. They entered service in 1972, with the last one being decommissioned in 2001.

ROKS Jeonbuk
Class overview
Name	Chungbuk
Builders	Bath Iron Works
Operators	Republic of Korea Navy
Preceded by	Chungmu class
Succeeded by	Daegu class
Built	1944-1945
In commission	1972—2001
Planned	7
Retired	7
Preserved	1
General characteristics
Type	Destroyer
Displacement	2,616 long tons (2,658 t) standard 3,460 long tons (3,516 t) full
Length	390.5 ft (119.0 m)
Beam	40.9 ft 10 in (12.72 m)
Draft	14.3 ft 8 in (4.56 m)
Propulsion	4 × GM Mod. 16-278A diesel engines with electric drive, 60,000 shp (45 MW) 2 × screws
Speed	36.8 knots (68.2 km/h; 42.3 mph)
Range	4,500 nmi (8,300 km) at 20 kn (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Complement	350
Sensors and processing systems	1 × AN/SPS-10B surface-search radar 1 × AN/SPS-37 air-search radar 1 × AN/WLR-1 radar warning receiver 1 × Mark 37 Director
Electronic warfare & decoys	1 × AN/ULQ-6 ECM 1 × T-Mk 6 Fanfare
Armament	1970s: 3 × twin 5"/38 cal guns 2 × quad 40 mm bofors 2 × twin RGM-84A Harpoons 1 × Phalanx CIWS (Chungbuk) 1 × twin Emerlec-30 guns (Jeonbuk) 2 × triple Mark 46 torpedo tubes 2 × Mark 10 Hedgehog mortars 1 × depth charge track 1980s: 2 × twin 5"/38 cal guns 1 × Sea Vulcan 2 × Sea Vulcan (Jeonbuk) 1 × twin Emerlec-30 gun (Jeonbuk) 2 × twin RGM-84A Harpoons 2 × triple Mark 46 torpedo tubes 2 × Mark 10 Hedgehog mortars 1 × depth charge track 1990s 2 × twin 5"/38 cal guns 1 × twin 40 mm bofors 2 × triple Mark 46 torpedo tubes 2 × Mark 10 Hedgehog mortars 1 × depth charge track
Aircraft carried	1 × Aérospatiale Alouette III
Aviation facilities	Single hangar and helipad

History

These were ships used by the US Navy during World War II and were modernized in electronics and weaponry during FRAM II. They were once magnificent ships, which throughout the 1970s constituted the backbone of the Republic of Korea Navy as a replacement for Chungmu class destroyers. Eventually, they were deemed too outdated. However, they remained in service until well into the 1990s, when they were downright obsolete. They were all leased till 1977 then bought by the navy.^[1]

They received two destroyers of the Gearing class for the Republic of Korea Navy from the US in 1972 as part of the American Military Assistance Program. More were later leased over in later years.

Ships in the class

Name	Hull Number	FRAM	Commissioned	Decommissioned	Status	References
ROKS Chungbuk	DD-915		1972	December 2000	Former DD-805 Chevalier, decommissioned	[2]
ROKS Jeonbuk	DD-916		1972	December 1999	Former DD-830 Everett F. Larson, decommissioned	[2]
ROKS Daejeon	DD-919		1977	February 2001	Former DD-818 New, decommissioned and used as a museum ship until scrapped	[2]
ROKS Gwangju	DD-921		1977	December 2000	Former DD-849 Richaard E. Kraus, decommissioned	[2]
ROKS Gangwon	DD-922		1978	December 2000	Former DD-714 William R. Rush, decommissioned	[2]
ROKS Gyeonggi	DD-923		1978		Former DD-883 Newman K. Perry, decommissioned	[2]
ROKS Jeonju	DD-925		1981		Former DD-876 Rogers, decommissioned and used as a museum ship	[2]