Ganggyeong-class
Summary
| Origin country | 🇰🇷 South Korea |
| Category | Mine warfare |
| Subtype | Minehunter |
| Manufacturer | Kangnam Corporation |
| Year commissioned | 1986 |
| Units |
561 (강경 (江景)) ROKS Ganggyeong (Kang Kyung) 562 (강진 (康津)) ROKS Gangjin 563 (고령 (高靈)) ROKS Goryeong 565 (김포 (金浦)) ROKS Gimpo 566 (고창 (高敞)) ROKS Gochang 567 (김화 (金化)) ROKS Gimhwa |
Operators
Technical specifications
| Displacement | 512 tons |
| Crew | 46 members |
| Width | 8.0 m (26.2 ft) |
| Length | 50.0 m (164.0 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 × Voith Schneider propellers |
| Armament |
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Description
The Ganggyeong class is a series of six minehunters built by Kangnam Corporation for the Republic of Korea Navy between 1986 and 1994. The class is an unlicensed derivative of the Italian Lerici-class design. At 50 meters long and displacing 512 tons at full load, they are compact coastal mine warfare vessels optimized for operations in the shallow waters of the Korean Peninsula.
The ships are powered by Voith Schneider propellers for precise low-speed maneuvering during mine hunting. Armament includes a 20mm gun, depth charges, and mine disposal vehicles for neutralizing bottom and moored mines. All six vessels remain in active service, operating alongside the newer Yangyang-class minesweepers.
The Korean Peninsula mine threat remains significant — North Korea is estimated to possess a large stockpile of naval mines. South Korea is developing the next-generation MSH-II mine countermeasures vessel program to eventually replace both the Ganggyeong and Yangyang classes with more capable modern platforms.