19 days after the accident, the North Korean destroyer was finally transferred to the dock for maintenance. According to the latest MAXER satellite images, the North Korean "Choi Hyun-class destroyer No. 2, which was overturned when launched on May 21, was transferred from the Cheongjin Shipyard to the dry dock of the Rajin Shipyard on June 8 for the restoration.
The picture shows the latest disclosed MAXER satellite image
Previously, according to the Korean Central News Agency on June 6, on June 5 local time, the on-site repair promotion team reported to the Central Military Commission of the Workers' Party of Korea on June 5. In early June, the balance of the ship had been completely restored, and as of the afternoon of the 5th, the ship had been safely staying at the dock. After the expert group reviews the hull status of the destroyer, it will enter the next stage of repair operations. The next stage of fine-tuning and repair operations will be carried out at the dry dock of the Luojin Shipyard, with an estimated operation date of 7 to 10 days.
Zhao Chunlong, secretary of the Central Committee of the Workers' Party of Korea who is responsible for commanding the on-site restoration promotion group, said that before the 12th Plenary Session of the Eighth Central Committee of the Workers' Party, the ship restoration work will be completed.
On May 21 local time, the launch ceremony of North Korea's newly built 5,000-ton destroyer was held at the Qingjin Shipyard. Kim Jong-un, General Secretary of the Workers' Party of Korea and Chairman of the State Council, attended the ceremony. A serious accident occurred during the launch of the newly built destroyer. During the launch of the destroyer, due to unskilled command and careless operation, the failure to ensure the parallelism of the movement of the chassis was caused by the stern part of the water skate to first break away from the ground, and the holes at the bottom of some sections caused the hull to be imbalanced, and the bow part did not leave the platform.
Subsequently, satellite photos showed that the destroyer was lifted on June 2 and was re-launched on June 5.
Photos released by foreign remote sensing image provider Planet Labs previously showed that at least the deck tip part of the straightened destroyer's bow is still intact, and the shadows under the sun also show that its inclined bow still exist, which undoubtedly overturned the judgment that the outside world had widely believed to be "cutting the bow for maintenance."
But the latest MAXER photos show that the bridge of the ship is seriously damaged and needs repair in urgent need of maintenance.
Rajin Shipyard is located on the east coast of North Korea, in the northeast of Cheongjin City, North Korea. It has historically produced small missile frigates and some bulk carriers called "Rajin" type frigates by the West. (Observer.com)
