Taiwan's government is being asked to reconsider a proposal to use underwater caves as part of a naval base for a new submarine fleet that could begin operations in 2025, the South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported recently.
Some Taiwanese defense experts believe that the island’s mountainous east coast, with its steep cliffs and deep-sea terrain, would be an ideal base for such warships. In particular, geological structures along the east coast of Hualien County and nearby underwater natural terrain could provide ideal shelter for submarines, according to Taiwan-based military expert Lu Li-shi.
"Just 100 meters from the Hualien coast, the sea is 1,000 meters deep, and 10 kilometers from the coast, the sea is more than 4,000 meters deep, allowing submarines to stealthily dive into the Pacific Ocean trench right after departing from the base. The geological structure of the cliffs in Hualien is suitable for digging deep caves or tunnels," Mr. Lu commented.
Military experts say the geology and deep waters of Taiwan's east coast would be an ideal location for an underwater naval base.
Lu's proposal came as Taiwan's defense forces said on May 5 that sea trials for the island's first diesel-electric submarine could begin as early as March 2024.
Taiwan plans to develop a fleet of at least eight diesel-electric attack submarines under its Inland Defense Submarine (IDS) Program, with the first expected to be launched in September 2023 and enter service in the first half of 2025, according to SCMP citing Taiwanese media.
"Natural fence"
The proposal for an underwater submarine base has recently caused a stir in Taiwan's military circles. An article published on Taiwan's online news portal Up Media has urged Taipei to reconsider its plan to use the cave to build a naval base, initially called "Eastern Fortification," because the current Zuoying Naval Base in southern Kaohsiung City is not a deep-water port and would not be completely concealed even after expansion.
Taiwan’s Maritime Self-Defense Force began studying the plan in 1991 after the United States promised to sell Taiwan eight diesel-electric submarines and 12 P-3C anti-submarine patrol aircraft. The pledges prompted the force to plan to build a U-shaped underwater tunnel inside a coastal mountainside in Hualien, which would house a comprehensive underground logistics and maintenance facility, according to a 2004 report by Chow Hsien-long, former deputy director of the Institute of Taiwan Studies at Peking Union University.
However, that idea was abandoned after the land acquisition failed, while the US was unable to deliver diesel-electric submarines to Taiwan because US weapons developers stopped producing older models, forcing Taipei to develop its own submarines.
A Taiwanese diesel-electric submarine emerges from the water during a drill near a naval base in Kaohsiung, in this photo taken on January 22, 2013.
Andrei Chang, editor-in-chief of the Canadian military magazine Kanwa Asian Defense , said that hiding valuable military assets inside the mountains on Taiwan's east coast has never been an outdated strategy, because the island's central mountain range will act as a "natural barrier" to prevent submarines from being attacked by the People's Liberation Army (PLA) from the mainland.
Taiwan's air defense force has two underground hangars in Hualien and Taitung County, which can shield up to 400 fighter jets in the event of a first strike, thanks to a 500-km-long mountain range.
“It would be unsafe for submarines to anchor at the naval bases in the southern and northern ports of the island, where the water is shallow and easy to detect. A cave-based auxiliary base for Taiwan’s maritime defense force would have to be a kind of sloping underwater tunnel inside the cliffs of Hualien, similar to Sweden’s underwater submarine base, which cannot be detected by [anti-submarine] aircraft and satellites,” Chang said.
MuskO Naval Base, a Swedish underwater naval facility south of the capital Stockholm, covers several square kilometers and is connected by 20 kilometers of underground passageways and a 3-kilometer-long tunnel, part of which is under the sea.
Will it be a threat to the Chinese military?
Mr. Nghe Lac Hung, a naval expert in Shanghai (China), said that the plan to build an underwater submarine base would pose a particular threat to the PLA in the event of a conflict, according to SCMP .
"The PLA has devised many scenarios for a possible war in Taiwan, including the involvement of aircraft carrier strike groups, in which fighter jets and ship-launched missiles would be deployed to bombard the island's key military bases. However, attack submarines hidden in underwater submarine bases and ocean trenches could weaken or even destroy the PLA's plan to seize the island in a lightning war," Mr. Nge commented.
Chinese planes, ships still surround Taiwan after drills
Meanwhile, Arthur Ding, professor emeritus at National Chengchi University in Taipei, said it would be too expensive to build an underwater submarine base, although "it sounds like a good idea".
“In fact, the navy needs to spend more time deploying its submarines north of Taipei and south of Kaohsiung to support a pincer attack by the PLA to close the Taiwan Strait,” Ding said, referring to the most likely attack scenarios. “Diesel-electric submarines have limited endurance, so it might be better to have them stationed in northern and southern ports,” Ding said.
Taiwan’s indigenous submarines will eventually replace four older submarines currently in service with the coast guard. Two of the vessels are diesel-electric submarines purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s, while the other two are second-hand US Navy GUPPY submarines. These were designed decades ago and are used only for training purposes, according to SCMP .
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