Cheonghae Unit
Encyclopedia
The Cheonghae Anti-piracy Unit (Korean
: 청해부대, Hanja
: 淸海部隊) was established by the Republic of Korea Navy
to protect civilian ships near the coast of Somalia
under Combined Task Force 151
. The naval task force
is named after the historical 9th-century Korean military base Cheonghaejin
.
Deployed from Jinhae Naval Base, the modern-day unit is responsible for safely escorting hundreds of commercial vessels and several rescues involving ships from The Bahamas
, Denmark
, North Korea
and South Korea
. In January 2011, commandos in the Cheonghae Unit successfully executed a highly-publicized rescue
of a South Korean tanker, freeing crew members held hostage by Somali pirates
.
.jpg)
was the first ship to be deployed as part of the unit to Somali
waters on March 13, 2009. On April 17, it deterred pirates from boarding the cargo vessel Puma, which was registered in Denmark
. On May 4, the Munmu the Great responded to a distress call by the North Korea
n merchant vessel Dabaksol. A Westland Lynx
military helicopter was launched to protect the Dabaksol until the pirates had fled. The North Korean sailors thanked the members of the unit before proceeding to India
. A member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea
stated, "This is the first time that the South Korean navy has rescued a North Korean cargo ship from a pirate’s attack. According to the international law of the sea
, we should help all vessel[s] regardless of their nationality."
ROKS Dae Joyeong was dispatched in July 2009 to relieve the Munmu the Great, and rescued four civilian vessels. In August, the Dae Joyeong raided a pirate vessel that had been pursuing the Bahamian
container ship Notos Scan. In September, it freed the Cypriot
commercial vessel Alexandria, along with five Yemeni
crew members who were being held by pirates.
ROKS Yi Sun-shin was deployed in November 2009 to become the third ship of the unit. It defeated pirates twice while escorting 460 vessels during its tour of duty.
On April 4, 2010, Somali pirates took over the South Korean supertanker Samho Dream
along with its 24 crew members, including five Koreans and nineteen Filipinos. When the Yi Sun-shin pursued the hijacked vessel, the pirates threatened to kill the tanker crew.
ROKS Kang Gamchan relieved the Yi Sun-shin in May 2010, and transported injured crew members from a Bahamian drilling ship to a hospital later that month. In August, the Kang Gamchan also provided medical assistance to the crew of a ship registered in Hong Kong
.
ROKS Wang Geon was deployed later that year to become the fifth ship of the unit. Among the 432 vessels it escorted was the Samho Dream, which had finally been released by pirates in November for a record ransom payment of $9.5 million.
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
: 청해부대, Hanja
Hanja
Hanja is the Korean name for the Chinese characters hanzi. More specifically, it refers to those Chinese characters borrowed from Chinese and incorporated into the Korean language with Korean pronunciation...
: 淸海部隊) was established by the Republic of Korea Navy
Republic of Korea Navy
The Republic of Korea Navy or the ROK Navy is the branch of the South Korean armed forces responsible for conducting naval operations and amphibious landing operations. The ROK Navy includes the Republic of Korea Marine Corps, which is a quasi-autonomous organization...
to protect civilian ships near the coast of Somalia
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
under Combined Task Force 151
Combined Task Force 151
Combined Task Force 151 or CTF-151 or Combined Task Force One Five One is an international naval task force, set up in response to piracy attacks in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia...
. The naval task force
Task force
A task force is a unit or formation established to work on a single defined task or activity. Originally introduced by the United States Navy, the term has now caught on for general usage and is a standard part of NATO terminology...
is named after the historical 9th-century Korean military base Cheonghaejin
Cheonghaejin
Cheonghaejin was a major military headquarters and trading hub located on nowadays Wando island, South Jeolla province of South Korea established by Korean general, Jang Bogo in 828 ACE during the Silla kingdom period...
.
Deployed from Jinhae Naval Base, the modern-day unit is responsible for safely escorting hundreds of commercial vessels and several rescues involving ships from The Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
and South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
. In January 2011, commandos in the Cheonghae Unit successfully executed a highly-publicized rescue
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden was a naval operation by the Republic of Korea Navy against Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. The operation was spurred by the pirates' seizure of the South Korean chemical tanker Samho Jewelry. In response, the South Korean government sent a destroyer and 30 naval...
of a South Korean tanker, freeing crew members held hostage by Somali pirates
Piracy in Somalia
Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
.
2009
Somalia
Somalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
waters on March 13, 2009. On April 17, it deterred pirates from boarding the cargo vessel Puma, which was registered in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. On May 4, the Munmu the Great responded to a distress call by the North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
n merchant vessel Dabaksol. A Westland Lynx
Westland Lynx
The Westland Lynx is a British multi-purpose military helicopter designed and built by Westland Helicopters at its factory in Yeovil. Originally intended as a utility craft for both civil and naval usage, military interest led to the development of both battlefield and naval variants...
military helicopter was launched to protect the Dabaksol until the pirates had fled. The North Korean sailors thanked the members of the unit before proceeding to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. A member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea
Joint Chiefs of Staff (Republic of Korea)
Joint Chiefs of Staff of Republic of Korea is a group of Chiefs from each major branch of the armed services in the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. Unlike his/her United States counterpart, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff has Operational Control over all military personnel of the Armed...
stated, "This is the first time that the South Korean navy has rescued a North Korean cargo ship from a pirate’s attack. According to the international law of the sea
United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea , also called the Law of the Sea Convention or the Law of the Sea treaty, is the international agreement that resulted from the third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea , which took place from 1973 through 1982...
, we should help all vessel[s] regardless of their nationality."
ROKS Dae Joyeong was dispatched in July 2009 to relieve the Munmu the Great, and rescued four civilian vessels. In August, the Dae Joyeong raided a pirate vessel that had been pursuing the Bahamian
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
container ship Notos Scan. In September, it freed the Cypriot
Cyprus
Cyprus , officially the Republic of Cyprus , is a Eurasian island country, member of the European Union, in the Eastern Mediterranean, east of Greece, south of Turkey, west of Syria and north of Egypt. It is the third largest island in the Mediterranean Sea.The earliest known human activity on the...
commercial vessel Alexandria, along with five Yemeni
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
crew members who were being held by pirates.
ROKS Yi Sun-shin was deployed in November 2009 to become the third ship of the unit. It defeated pirates twice while escorting 460 vessels during its tour of duty.
2010
MV Samho Dream
Samho Dream is a South Korean, Marshall-Island flagged supertanker that was carrying oil from Iraq to the United States when it was hijacked by Somali pirates on April 4, 2010. At the time, the vessel was manned by 24 crew: five South Koreans and nineteen Filipinos...
along with its 24 crew members, including five Koreans and nineteen Filipinos. When the Yi Sun-shin pursued the hijacked vessel, the pirates threatened to kill the tanker crew.
ROKS Kang Gamchan relieved the Yi Sun-shin in May 2010, and transported injured crew members from a Bahamian drilling ship to a hospital later that month. In August, the Kang Gamchan also provided medical assistance to the crew of a ship registered in Hong Kong
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
.
ROKS Wang Geon was deployed later that year to become the fifth ship of the unit. Among the 432 vessels it escorted was the Samho Dream, which had finally been released by pirates in November for a record ransom payment of $9.5 million.
2011 rescue operation
On January 21, 2011, the Cheonghae Unit rescued the crew of the Samho Jewelry, a chemical tanker held hostage by Somali pirates; 8 pirates were killed, and 5 were captured. The captain of the tanker was wounded during the operation, but the rest of the crew members were unhurt.Unit rotation
| Rotation | Size | List of ships | Departure | Start | End | Arrival | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 300 | DDH-976 Munmu the Great ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) ROKS Munmu the Great is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer in the South Korean navy. It was named after the Korean king Munmu of Silla.-History:... |
2009-03-13 | 2009-04-14 | 2009-08-19 | 2009-09-14 | |
| 2nd | 300 | DDH-977 Dae Joyeong | 2009-07-16 | 2009-08-21 | 2009-12-21 | 2010-01-18 | |
| 3rd | 300 | DDH-975 Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin | 2009-11-20 | 2009-12-23 | 2010-05-20 | ||
| 4th | 300 | DDH-979 Kang Gamchan | 2010-04-02 | 2010-04-22 | |||
| 5th | 300 | DDH-978 Wang Geon | 2010-07-09 | 2010-09-10 | 2011-01 | ||
| 6th | 300 | DDH-981 Choi Young ROKS Choi Young (DDH-981) ROKS Choi Young is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer in the South Korean navy. It is named after the Korean general Choe Yeong.-Design:... |
2010-12-28 | 2011-05-27 | |||
| 7th | 300 | DDH-976 Munmu the Great ROKS Munmu the Great (DDH-976) ROKS Munmu the Great is a Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin class destroyer in the South Korean navy. It was named after the Korean king Munmu of Silla.-History:... |
2011-04-05 | 2011-05-06 |
See also
- Combined Task Force 150Combined Task Force 150Combined Task Force 150 is a multinational coalition naval task force working under the 25 nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces and is based in Bahrain established to monitor, inspect, board, and stop suspect shipping to pursue the "War on Terrorism" and in the Horn of Africa region ...
- List of ships attacked by Somali pirates in 2011
- Piracy in SomaliaPiracy in SomaliaPiracy off the coast of Somalia has been a threat to international shipping since the second phase of the Somali Civil War in the early 21st century...
External links
- Cheonghae Unit at KBS WorldKBS WorldKBS World is a name of Korean Broadcasting System's international broadcasting service. It consists of KBS World Radio and a KBS World television channel.- History :...
- Cheonghae Unit Dispatched to Chase Somali Pirates at Arirang NewsArirang NewsArirang News is the main daily newscast on Korean International English language TV channel Arirang. It covers news stories from Korea, Asia and around the world. The first thirty minutes of the show covers world news, focusing on major stories from Korea. The following segments include sports, an...