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	2
Retired	2
Preserved	0
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 Eventually, they were deemed too outdated.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 USA in 1972 as part of the American Military Assistance Program. More were later leased over in later years.

Ships in the class

Citations