MELBOURNE - Taiwan took possession of two decommissioned U.S. Navy frigates on March 9 at a ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina. The handover of the ex-U.S. Navy Oliver Hazard Perry-class vessels followed their reactivation in Charleston by VSE Corporation. They are slated for delivery and entry into service with the Republic of China (RoC) Navy by the end of May. Once activated, these ships will replace some of the former U.S. Navy Knox-class frigates renamed in RoC Navy service as Chin Yang-class.
The two ex-Perry class ships form part of a downsized order of what initially had been a Taiwanese request for four such ships that was given approval by the Obama administration in 2014. The two boats - the ex-Gary and ex-Taylor - were originally commissioned into U.S. Navy service in 1984-85. Rather than purchase four aging vessels Taiwanese lawmakers instead opted for a smaller acquisition of just two of the frigates, with potential savings to be shifted toward more domestically derived weapons systems.
The cost to Taiwan for the two decommissioned frigates is estimated at TWD5.5 billion ($177 million).
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