Shipbucket

After a long time on the Discord and the Challenges threads, I decided it was time to finally assemble a proper Shipbucket thread for the ships I've made for my Menghe AU. Menghe started back in 2012 as a NationStates project, and as a result I already have a colossal amount of content on NS's iiWiki site, so I'll mostly limit myself to images and brief writeups in this thread while occasionally linking to more thorough iiWiki pages (for example, here's the main country page for Menghe). In keeping with the forum's higher-level organization, I'm going to put my FD-scale art in a different thread, if I get around to making one at all; but I may slip in halfscale (1px:1ft) supplementary images to this thread, to show drafting plans, 3-views, and internal layouts, and perhaps the occasional map.

Overview:
Menghe (formally, 대멩 / 大孟 Dae Meng, but more commonly 멩국 / 孟國 Mengguk) is a country in the collaborative AU world Septentrion, which some of you may recognize from Blackbuck's AU thread. In the 2020 census, Menghe recorded a population of 551,935,036, and in that same year it had a land area of 3,719,849 square kilometers and a nominal GDP of $9.810 trillion. It surpassed Fyrland as Septentrion's largest economy in 2017, but it remains a latecomer to the circle of great powers and its global power projection capabilities remain constrained.

Menghe's last half-millenium of naval history has been a story of stops and starts. For centuries, Imperial Menghe was the strongest economic and military power in the Eastern Hemisphere, but this golden age came to an end in 1508-1514 when the first large-scale sea trade with Casaterra unleashed the Menghean Black Plague, carried by rats stowing away aboard sailing ships. This pandemic toppled the Yi dynasty and killed perhaps half of its population; while the Myŏn dynasty eventually rose to take its place, Myŏn emperors pursued a policy of isolationism to block out foreign diseases, allowing the Casaterran colonial powers, and later other Hemithean states, to replace Imperial Menghe as the main naval presence in the East. The Myŏn dynasty fell in 1867, toppled by a rebellion led by General Kim Ryung-sŏng, who crowned himself Emperor and established the Sinyi dynasty. Rather than strengthening the country, this move divided it, as Menghe's southern provinces united under the Namyang Government and waged an on-and-off war with Sinyi over the next several decades. Under pressure to keep up with their respective rivals, both Sinyi and Namyang opened trade with Western countries and began modernizing their navies, with ironclads, torpedo boats, and central battery ships replacing sailing junks.

In 1901, the Sinyi dynasty and the Namyang government signed a treaty unifying their holdings into the Federative Republic of Menghe. This county pursued many modernizing reforms, including a federal, parliamentary system of government and a policy of promoting industrialization. The Sinyi and Namyang navies were combined into the Menghean Federal Navy, the first to use the blue-white-blue naval flag that flies from Menghean ships today.

With Westernization came backlash. In 1927, Fleet Admiral Kwon Chong Hoon staged a military coup in the capital of Donggyŏng, installing Kim Myŏng-hwan as Emperor and himself as Regent in the Greater Menghean Empire. Not content to pursue gradual modernization, Kwon hoped to rapidly build up Menghe's armed forces and drive the Western colonial powers out of Hemithea and Meridia, thereby restoring Menghe to its rightful position as regional hegemon. With a Navy officer at the helm, so to speak, the renamed Imperial Menghean Navy initially received the bulk of modernization funding, exceeding its limits under the Selkiö Naval Treaty and withdrawing from the treaty completely in 1935. In 1937, however, the Donghyi Emperor (Kim Myŏng-hwan) succeeded in dismissing Kwon as Regent and assuming direct control. From 1938 onward, the Imperial Menghean Army received priority in funding: partly because top Army officers had backed the Emperor's self-coup, and partly because Imperial Menghe was facing more and more pressure in its war on land. As the least industrialized of the great powers, Menghe had to make difficult choices in the Pan-Septentrion War of 1932-1945, and as oil became scarce and steel mills were bombed, the Imperial Menghean Navy languished under Army primacy.

The year 1945 brought the atomic bombing of Dongrŭng (8 November), the atomic bombing of Anchŏn (11 November), the signing of the Articles of Surrender (15 November), and the beginning of an 8-year Allied occupation (31 November). The Allied Occupation Authority dismantled what remained of Menghe's navy, distributing some vessels as prize ships and scrapping others. The Allied Occupation Authority flew the "Mike" signal flag as Menghe's provisional national flag. In 1953, the Allied Occupation Authority handed power to the Republic of Menghe, which remained a puppet regime under the direction of the Allied powers, chiefly the United Kingdoms of Anglia and Lechernt. The Republic of Menghe was allowed a small navy, mainly for coastal security, and it received a few Allied surplus ships, but internal turmoil was the main brake on its naval construction: a civil war still raged in the interior, waged first by Imperial Menghean Army units which refused to surrender, and later by Communist guerrillas and revolutionaries.

The united Communist and Nationalist forces captured the last holdouts of the Republic of Menghe in 1964, founding the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe or DPRM. The DPRM was nominally a Communist country, but under the terms of the Sangwŏn Agreement which united Communist and Nationalist forces in the War of Liberation, the Menghean People's Army was allowed to operate without ideological oversight as long as it did not interfere in civilian politics. Imperial Menghean Navy holdouts played no real role in the War of Liberation, and so the Navy was much less insulated from politics. It did, however, win the right to command its own coastal defense units, marine landing units, and land-based aviation units, rights which the IMA stripped away from it in 1938. With Communist allies on all of its land borders but hostile navies threatening its entire coast, the DPRM focused on a naval doctrine of "counteroffensive defense," which would involve massed missile attacks on any approaching enemy fleet. Like the Menghean Federal Navy, the Menghean People's Navy planned to rely heavily on green-water and land-based assets to offset its disadvantage in carriers and large surface combatants, but as time went by and its forces grew in size, it became concerned with ways to push the defensive fight further from Menghean shores. This culminated in 1981 with the laying down of the Haebang, Menghe's first aircraft carrier since 1945.

While its military policy saw rapid and continuous modernization, the DPRM's economic policy was inadequate to support it, especially under the disastrous economic decentralization programs of Ryŏ Ho-jun (1980-1987). On 21 December 1987, a clique of Army officers led by Major General Choe Sŭng-min seized power in the Decembrist Revolution, which despite its name was more of an improvised military coup. In 1988, Choe's interim junta formally established the Socialist Republic of Menghe, today's Menghean government. While nominally socialist, the new regime quickly embarked on a program of economic reforms intended to revitalize the economy, resulting in something better described as state capitalism or a coordinated market economy. Economic reform did not initially bring political reform: Choe Sŭng-min ruled as a dictator until his death in 2021, amassing a powerful cult of personality and banning genuine opposition parties. This situation appears to be changing as of 2022; in that year, Chairman Kim Pyŏng-so and Supreme Commander Kang Yong-nam resigned from their posts, and General Secretary Mun Chang-ho launched a package of nominally democratic reforms, legalizing opposition parties and replacing the self-appointed post of Chairman of the Supreme Council with a more conventional cabinet and Prime Minister.

The Menghean Navy followed a wild trajectory in the post-1987 era. Under Choe's nationalist oversight, it restored the blue-white-blue flag of the Menghean Federal Navy and revived some IMN-era traditions, including the painting of the ship's name on the hull side in big characters. But in terms of actual funding, the Navy faced steep defense cuts in the early 1990s, as the government redirected more funding toward economic development (defense spending in 1987 amounted to 12% of GDP). Thus, during the 1990s the Menghean Navy pivoted toward a leaner but more streamlined force, selling or scrapping large numbers of obsolete surface combatants.

In 2001, as part of a debt forgiveness deal, Menghe relinquished its claims to Dayashina's Renkaku Islands, opening the way for Dayashina and its allies to legalize more advanced arms sales to Menghe. Thus, the early 2000s saw a major advancement in Menghean ship design, enabled by the sale of systems like the AN/SPY-1 radar and Mk 41 VLS family. 2005 brought another advancement, this time in budgets: during an intervention in the Ummayan Civil War, Menghean ships clashed with Anglian and Sieuxerrian ones, and although Hallia and Dayashina were able to step in as mediators and avert a large conflict, relations never recovered. Menghean military spending surged, buoyed by a rising threat of war and fueled by the last decade's economic reform and growth. As in the DPRM era, Menghean naval doctrine stressed the use of land-based aviation and mobile missile batteries to tilt the playing field in Menghe's favor when fighting close to home.

The Menghean Navy saw combat again in the 2014 Innominadan Crisis, which allowed Menghe to occupy the southeastern coast of Innominada and thereby set up air and naval bases along the vital Strait of Portcullia. In that conflict, third-party intervention again succeeded in stopping escalation to world war at the 11th hour. There would be no such luck in 2022, when Menghe launched a series of massed attacks on Entente naval forces as a preemptive measure against a perceived invasion force, triggering the Second Pan-Septentrion War (later known as the One-Month War). During this conflict, the Menghean Navy scored a number of triumphs, sinking two carrier battle groups in the first day of fighting; but two more carrier battle groups made it past the Menghean Navy's defensive cordon in the Strait of Portcullia, and fighting in the South Menghe Sea proved costlier than anticipated.

This thread will cover the ships of these many iterations of the Menghean Navy, as well as certain Menghean civilian ships, and perhaps ships of Menghe's allies in the Namhae Front, especially where those ships are derived from Menghean ones. Because I'm stuck in the infinite cycle of death and rebooth, I'm going to trickle in new images as I become satisfied with them, rather than dumping all my finished ships all at once.

Frequently Asked Questions:
What language is that / You spelled the Korean wrong: After experimenting with conlangs in the past, I decided to more or less adopt Korean as Menghe's language, to save time coming up with ship names and geographic names. I did, however, apply a few twists:

1. Because it's an alternate universe, the romanization system is neither South Korea's Revised Romanization nor North Korea's McCune-Reischauer, but "Romaja," a Korean romanization system of my own invention. For example, the famous fast battleship 청도 / 青島 would be written "Cheongdo" in RR or "Ch'ŏngdo" in McR, but in Romaja it is "Chŏngdo." This link explains the rules for converting Hangul components to Latin letters in Romaja.
2. Because Menghe is the successor to the region's Sinitic civilization, rather than a former Chinese satellite state, Menghean shows somewhat more Sinitic influences than real-life Korean. Hanja characters (called Gomun in-universe) are still widely used in formal and official settings, including on ship hulls and dedication plaques, and in many cases I substitute less commonly used Korean words with Sinitic etymology, or even Korean readings of Chinese vocabulary terms, for Korean vocabulary words with no Hanja counterpart.
3. In rare cases I change a character's Hangul (called Sinmun in-universe) and pronunciation, e.g., 趙 as Cho instead of Jo, 金 as Kim instead of Gim/Gŭm, 开 as Kae instead of Gae, and indeed 孟 as Meng instead of Maeng. Generally these changes turn un-aspirated consonants into aspirated ones but there is no real linguistic rhyme or reason to it apart from personal taste I guess.

How do you say "Menghe"? Two syllables, emphasis on the second, first e like e as in dress, second e like a as in face: Meng-HAY. That's /ˌmɛŋˈheɪ/ for any IPA readers out there. Like "China," "Japan," and "Korea," the English version of the country name was the product of a long game of telephone; in the Menghean language, the country is called Mengguk, Dae Meng, or Menghwa, in increasing levels of formality, with the latter serving as the origin of the Spanish and then English "Menghe."

Why are you mixing NATO and Soviet weapons? See summary above, Menghe shifted its alliance orientations and major military suppliers around 2001.

When are you going to get around to WWII-era ships? I have dozens of outdated WWI and WWII era drawings, but in keeping with the rule I set at the top of this thread, I'm only going to trickle them in as I reboot them one by one... and because I like to do ships of a similar era and role one after another, I anticipate that I'll be working on modern ships for a long time to come.

What's with the weird ship types (DChJ, HO, YD)? This post explains it in more detail than I have space for here. In short, in 1970 the Menghean Navy adopted a ship classification scheme that more closely fits the target ship's role, so rather than the typical "destroyer, frigate, corvette" types, you'll see main force escort ships, medium anti-submarine patrol ships, and large fast missile craft, and so on. In keeping with Shipbucket tradition, the ship class captions use destroyer/frigate/corvette, etc, but the individual ship hull numbers on the row below use the Menghean acronym and (after 1995) the permanent hull number. In most cases the text of the post will explain the ship's full Menghean Navy classification, and any ambiguity or change in Menghean and typical foreign classification of that ship.

---More content coming soon, including flags and maps, but I figured I'd put this up now since it's a decent thread introduction---

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Index of ship classes

Notes about this index:

• Ships will be added to this list as I publish their artworks. For a full list of ships that have iiWiki pages, but are not necessarily uploaded to the Shipbucket forum, see this navigation box for all postwar warship classes.
• Ships dating from the period 1900-1950 are organized by their conventional hull classification, e.g., aircraft carrier, battleship, heavy cruiser, light cruiser. The same rule applies to foreign warships.
• Ships dating from after 1950 are organized by their Menghean Navy hull classification scheme--more specifically, by the ship's classification under the post-1995 version of the scheme. This post explains the Menghean Navy's role-based ship classification scheme in more detail.
• Within a category, ships are listed in the order that the first ship in the class was commissioned.
• In most cases, ship names in black are things I have already drawn or at least drafted, so be patient and you will see them soon

Menghean Navy, 1900-1950:
Aircraft Carriers:
Battleships and Battlecruisers:
Heavy Cruisers:
Light Cruisers:
Destroyers:
Torpedo Ships:

Menghean Navy, 1950-2050:
Aircraft carriers (MH):

• Haebang-class aircraft carrier
• Sibiwŏl Hyŏgmyŏng-class aircraft carrier

Nuclear aircraft carriers (MHW):

• Choe Sŭng-min-class aircraft carrier

Super-heavy cruisers (SCh):

• Unmunsan-class cruiser

Destroyers (G):

• Ubing-class destroyer
• Taepung-class destroyer

Missile Destroyers (GY):

• Nunbora-class destroyer
• Chŏndong-class destroyer

Medium Coastal Destroyers (GYJ):

• Saebyŏk-class corvette
• Donghan-class frigate

Small Coastal Destroyers (GYS):

• Taepung-class corvette

Escort Ships (H):

• Yobu-class corvette (and Hyŏngnam and Maepo subclasses)

Main Force Escort Ships (HJ):

• Plan 351 Yerihan
• Pyŏng'an-class destroyer
• Haeju-class destroyer (and Onju subclass)
• Insŏng-class destroyer

Outer Layer Escort Ships (HO):

• Ansa-class frigate (and Hawŏn subclass)
• Yechŏn-class frigate (and Yajjdan and Dŏkju subclasses)
• Chunchŏn-class frigate (and Sŏnsan subclass)

Large Anti-Submarine Patrol Ships (DChD):

• Chanjok Jachido-class cruiser
• Hasŏ-class cruiser

Medium Anti-Submarine Patrol Ships (DChJ):

• Ginam-class frigate
• Mirun-class corvette (and Jedong subclass)
• Yungju-class corvette

Small Anti-Submarine Patrol Ships (DChS):

• Banjihwa-class corvette
• Mugunghwa-class corvette
• Sŏwicho-class corvette
• Muran-class corvette

Coastal Anti-Submarine Patrol Ships, or Coastal Anti-Diver Patrol Ships (DChY):

• Plan 145 submarine chaser

Large Missile Craft (KYD):

• Plan 215 corvette
• Wang Yŏn-sŏk-class corvette
• Meng Dae-wŏn-class missile boat (and Cho Ji-hun subclass)

Missile Craft (KY):

• Plan 261 missile boat
• Ra Ji-yun-class missile boat

Torpedo Boats (KŎ):

• Plan 183 torpedo boat
• Plan 994 torpedo boat

Large Training Ships (KYD):

• Gangwŏn-class training ship
• Hwangsa-class training ship

--other ship classes to come--

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Banjihwa-class corvette


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Banjihwa-class_corvette

The Banjihwa-class corvettes were a group of 22 Petya-class (Pr.159A) anti-submarine warships built under license in Menghe between 1967 and 1975. They are functionally identical to the Pr.159A design, differing mainly in the living amenities, which were adapted (albeit inadequately) to Menghean cuisine and the tropical climate of the South Menghe Sea. Though much more capable than any previous Menghean anti-submarine warship, they suffered from poor range, poor endurance, and poor anti-aircraft armament. All were decommissioned between 1988 and 1997, with none receiving substantial refits for Menghean service and none surviving as museum ships. Nevertheless, by giving Menghean shipyards experience in the assembly of modern warship types, they did serve as an important developmental bridge to subsequent Menghean warship classes.

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Mugunghwa-class corvette


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Mugunghwa-class_corvette

The Mugunghwa-class corvettes were a follow-on to the Banjihwa class. They were built on a modified Pr.159A hull, with the same powerplant and propulsion arrangement but more storage, fuel, and accommodation space. They also featured a fully enclosed bridge for better visibility from the wheelhouse and better comfort in stormy or rough seas. As built, they carried one bank of five 533mm heavyweight guided torpedoes for longer-ranged ASW work, and a MANPADS launcher aft of the funnel to more effectively engage fast aircraft. The deckhouse overhanging the stern contains a simple dipping sonar, believed to be an enhanced version of the type carried by early GH-28 helicopters; it cannot be towed while at speed, but it does allow stationary or drifting ships to search below the thermocline. Thirty-two of these ships were built in total, with the first commissioned in 1975 and the last decommissioned in 2010.



The Mugunghwa-class corvette DChJ Juksun was completed in late 1981 as a trials ship for the YDG-36 surface-to-air missile. Her aft AK-726 turret was replaced by a Y36H1B8 launch system with eight ready missiles and 24 reloads, the magazine sitting atop the deck in a large box-like structure. The single MANPADS launcher platform aft of the funnel was replaced by two small lattice masts for YDG-36 illuminator radars, and the main radar mast was enlarged and topped by an HR-210 3D air search radar. The torpedo tubes were retained, and when not conducting firing trials, Juksun remained in service as a fully functional medium ASW patrol ship. No other Mugunghwa-class corvettes were built to this configuration, though the Y36H1B8 system was later used on the Chŏndong-class destroyers and the aircraft carrier Haebang.



The main mid-life refit for the Mugunghwa-class corvettes involved adding a large deckhouse to the quarterdeck to accommodate a towed sonar array and its supporting equipment. Compared with the previous dipping sonar, this system not only had greater sensitivity and range, it could also be deployed while underway. Because this deckhouse had a smaller overhang over the stern, the overall length of the rebuilt ships was actually reduced, though displacement increased. Other changes included an HR-210 3D air search radar with greater range and height-finding capability, D-104 datalinks for coordinated ASW action, and the refitting of the torpedo tubes to support the UGST wire-guided torpedo and HŎ-2 Poksŏl rocket-deployed torpedo. Thorough overhauls of the diesel engine and gas turbines also extended these ships' operational lifetimes. Only eight of the surviving 31 Mugunghwa-class corvettes were refitted in this fashion, with the rest retired as they reached the end of their useful lives.



In 2001, Juksun (reclassified in 1995 as DChS-637) was taken into drydock and modified once more, this time with a Subisu combined-gun-and-missile CIWS installed in the aft deckhouse. Intended not only for new-build ships, but also as a drop-in replacement for the ill-liked YDG-36, the Subisu CIWS was designed to use the same volume as the Y36H1B8 for its below-deck missile and ammo magazine and supporting spaces, and DChS-637 Juksun served as proof of concept for this configuration. The ship took part in firing trials in 2002 and 2003, demonstrating the effectiveness of the Subisu system and testing its performance in real maritime conditions, but the added mass made her top-heavy and stern-heavy and she could no longer serve as a regular anti-submarine patrol ship. She was retired in 2004 along sister ships DChS-636 Haedanghwa and DChS-638 Hwŏncho, and her Subisu CIWS mount was scavenged for use aboard the destroyer HJ-365 Anchŏn, laid down in 2005.



The above image shows DChS-620 Jangsu, the last Mugunghwa-class corvette to be retired from Menghean Navy service, on the eve of her decommissioning. During routine maintenance periods, she was fitted with more modern datalink antennas, radio antennas, and IFF transponders, and also with four launch boxes for the YDH-26 lightweight anti-ship missile. By this time the Mugunghwa-class corvettes were showing their age, and the Mirun-class corvettes which replaced them were in all respects superior--except with regard to the range of their air search radars, where the refitted Mugunghwas still had better instrumented range.

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Plan 215 corvette


Main Article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Plan_215_corvette

The Plan 215 corvettes, actually designated in Menghe as "large missile boats," were designed to increase the range of the Menghean People's Navy's coastal FAC forces. In terms of armament, they can be thought of as Osa-I missile boats with greater range, endurance, and self-defense armament, carrying four P-15 derived YDH-20 anti-ship missiles as their main offensive armament. Ostensibly, the forward AK-630 mounts allow the Plan 215 corvette to shoot down incoming anti-ship missiles while heading toward a launch point, and the aft-facing AK-726 mount allows it to engage pursuing aircraft and light surface craft while retreating. Like the Mugunghwa-class corvettes, the Plan 215 corvettes are derived from the Pr.159 hull, and use the same three-shaft CODAG powerplant--but with three conventional rudders, no sonar, and no sonar supporting spaces inside the shortened hull.


Ships launched from 1980 onward were completed to the Plan 215N design, which featured YDH-22 anti-ship missiles. Compared with the YDH-20, this extended the missile's range from 40 to 120 kilometers and increased its speed from Mach 0.8 to Mach 0.9. To accommodate the longer missiles, these ships were built with longer box launchers. In all other respects, they were identical to the first batch of Plan 215 missile boats.


In the mid-1990s, the Menghean Navy began carrying out mid-life refits for the Plan 215 corvettes. Only ships from KYD-114 onward--i.e., those commissioned with the YDH-22 anti-ship missile--were refitted in this way; the older ships were exported. These refits replaced the YDH-22 missile boxes with YDH-24 missile boxes, a change which not only tripled the number of missiles, but increased the striking range from 120 kilometers to 160 kilometers. To better take advantage of the extended range, these ships were also refitted with D-105 datalink antennas and HR-280 surface search radars, which are designed to exploit atmospheric ducting to detect targets beyond the conventional radar horizon. This change also effectively eliminated the ships' ability to detect and track high-flying aerial targets.

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Gangwŏn-class training ship


Main Article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Gangw%C5%8Fn-class_training_ship

In the late 1970s, the DPRM built two large training ships, named Gangwŏn and Kangjin. On board, they carried classrooms for instruction, extra compasses and plotting rooms for navigation practice, extra radio rooms for communication practice, and an auditorium for ceremonies and large group lectures. They also carried accommodations for 28 instructors and 82 officer cadets in addition to 17 officers and 131 enlisted crew. More interestingly, they also included substantial combat systems: two twin-barrel AK-726 gun turrets forward, two AK-630 CIWS mounts aft, two HBDJ-21/12 ASW rocket launchers, and a landing pad for a helicopter (but no hangar or hauldown equipment). These systems allowed cadets to familiarize themselves with some common Menghean Navy weapon systems that they may encounter on their ships, but more importantly, they allowed the Gangwŏn and Kangjin to conduct rear-area escort and patrol duties in wartime--a feature carried forward to later Menghean training ships.


Following the Decembrist Revolution of 1987, the Menghean Navy substantially downsized its force, resulting in reduced officer cadet class sizes. In light of this, YD Kangjin was retired from active duty in 1989 and put in reserve status. Eight years later, as Choe Sŭng-min's cult of personality took off, the Menghean Navy reactivated the disused Kangjin and converted her into a state yacht for Choe and other top officials. As a training ship, she was well-suited to the new role: her cadet accommodations became accommodations for aides and staff, her instructor accommodations became accommodations for Choe and other top officials, her classrooms and lounges became meeting halls, and her auditorium became an event room and entertainment center. At the same time, she was cheaper to operate than a conventional warship, and would not detract from the Navy's combat strength. And as an armed warship, she reflected Choe Sŭng-min's carefully cultivated image of disciplined military asceticism in a way that a civilian luxury yacht could not. To reduce operating costs, her guns were manned by a reduced crew, trained only to fire gun salutes, and her sonar and ASW battle stations were left unmanned, but she remained an expensive piece of machinery, and from 2000 onward Choe did not use her for any official trips. In 2002, she was taken back into maintenance and converted back into a training ship to serve the Menghean Navy's expansion plans.

This picture depicts YD-451 Kangjin at a ceremony celebrating the 10th anniversary of the founding of the Socialist Republic of Menghe. She is dressed in the flags of the Menghean Navy Code of Signals, and sports a typically enthusiastic banner which reads "Long Live the Great, Respected, Unsurpassed Supreme Leader Choe Sŭng-min!" This was one of the few occasions on which Choe paid a visit to the state yacht.



In 2002, YD-451 Kangjin was drydocked and refitted as a training ship once more, complete with new sensors and electronics to train crews on more modern systems. YD-450 Gangwŏn underwent similar refits the following year. In this configuration, they remained in service until the late 2010s, when they would be replaced by two Hwangsa-class large training ships.

_________________
Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Mirun-class corvette (and Jedong subclass)


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Mirun-class_corvette

The Mirun-class corvettes were ordered in 2004 as a replacement for the refitted Mugunghwa-class corvettes and Ginam-class frigates. At 2,640 tonnes full load, they straddle the boundary between large general-purpose corvettes and small ASW-oriented frigates; in the Menghean Navy, they are designated as Medium Anti-Submarine Patrol Ships. Their sensors and weapons reflect this role: the first batch of ships have a simple (20km range, 400m max altitude) search radar to detect incoming sea-skimming missiles, surface targets, and submarine periscopes or sensor masts. For submarine detection, they carry the "Spherion" hull-mounted sonar and AN/SQR-19 towed array, both of which were approved for export to Menghe in 2001. Their eight forward Mk 41 VLS cells support the HŎ-3 Ryongorŭm anti-submarine missile, but they lack the necessary guidance systems to fire surface-to-air missiles. As such, these ships would exclusively be used to patrol the northern reaches of the South Menghe Sea, outside the reach of enemy aircraft and missiles but potentially within reach of enemy submarines.

Like other Menghean warships of this generation, the Miruns were fitted with a version of the Prairie-Masker system to dampen their acoustic signatures. The aft bubble sheet generator is fed by bleed air from the gas turbine, and the forward bubble sheet generator is driven by a pair of air compressors inside the hull. These air compressors were found to be notoriously unreliable in practice, an issue which also emerged on the Yechŏn-class frigates and their derivatives, but the diesel engines in the forward compartment were at least rafted to reduce noise.


DChJ-662 Ryŏju through DChJ-666 Noyon were completed to a slightly modified configuration, with an HR-44D radome in place of the HR-44N. Note the rounded top. The HR-44D has a greater range (40km) and can detect and track targets at a higher altitude (30 degrees above horizontal), but it remains minimal, reflecting these ships' primary focus on anti-submarine warfare and the expectation that they will operate in rear areas. These ships were not considered a separate class or subclass, only a variation in the Mirun-class electronics fit.


DChJ-667 Jedong through DChJ-680 Hongnyŏng were built to a more extensively modified layout. They have a taller hourglass-shaped sensor mast, almost reminiscent of the Dŏkju-class frigates, topped by an HR-827 Pioran 3D air search radar. With an instrumented range of 140 kilometers, this system is still primarily oriented around self-defense rather than area air defense, but it does greatly improve the ships' ability to detect incoming threats and monitor enemy MPAs. The HR-827 Pioran can also generate mid-course guidance updates for the YDG-64 surface-to-air missile, and the STIR 1.2 guidance radar can provide terminal illumination in a jamming-heavy or target-heavy environment, allowing the YDG-64 and later the YDG-66 to be quadpacked in the forward VLS cells. The aft CIWS mount is also replaced by a heavier GBM-23/5Y2 Gungsu with YDG-64 missile boxes and a STIR 1.2 guidance and fire control radar. The chaff and flare projectors were upgraded, and two Manhwagyŏng-H torpedo decoy projectors added.


In 2017, the anti-submarine corvette DChJ-660 Gŭnju (commissioned 2009-04-17) was photographed in drydock with what appeared to be black antifouling paint on her hull around the machinery spaces. The darkened sections, too blurry to make out in the initial photo, were confirmed in 2020 to be a special form of anechoic tiling for surface ships. Of the ten Miruns and fourteen Jedongs, only Gŭnju was photographed with the new anechoic tiles, and as of 2020 it was believed that the Menghean Navy was using her as a trials ship for a quieting measure that could be retrofitted onto existing warships. A similar anechoic tiling system was spotted aboard the Chunchŏn-class frigate HO-344 Cheho in February 2022, also likely for temporary trials.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Yechŏn-class frigate (and Yajjdan and Dŏkju subclasses)


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Yech%C5%8Fn-class_frigate

The Yechŏn-class frigates were part of the "New Century Fleet," Menghe's plan for accelerated shipbuilding in the early 21st century that would take advantage of newly-approved foreign systems like the Mark 41 VLS and SM-2 missile. In their Menghean designation, they are Oechung Howiham (HO), or "outer-layer escort ships," designed to sit at the edges of a carrier battle group or other high-value formation and operate as a forward screen or sit along the threat axis between the carrier and an expected enemy force. This role gave rise to two competing demands: an HO must have strong self-defense armament, as it is likely to come under attack first, but it must also be relatively inexpensive, as it will be the most likely ship type to be lost. Born of this compromise, the Yechŏn-class frigates carry the Smart-S (baseline) air search radar at a time when contemporary Menghean destroyers were being built with SPY-1 sets, but mount this radar high above the waterline to detect sea-skimming threats from further out. With 32 VLS cells, they can carry a relatively formidable mix of missiles for self defense, especially with the arrival of the quadpacked YDG-7N in 2009. They also carry an HR-44 radome to detect small low-altitude threats, and an HR-280 radome to monitor surface ships at long ranges by exploiting atmospheric ducting. A final, interesting feature of the first four Yechŏns, not carried forward to later batches, is a large, seawater-fed water cannon over the helicopter hangar: the designers anticipated that, because they would be escorting high-value targets, the Yechŏns could be called upon to support firefighting efforts on other damaged ships.



At the Battle of the Aqaba Sea in 2005, the Menghean Navy exchanged missiles with Sieuxerrian and Anglian naval forces which had arrived to support the Naseristani government in its war effort against Taleyan rebels. Alarmed by the loss of two Chŏndong-class destroyers, the Menghean Navy urgently emphasized improvements in anti-aircraft armament on its remaining surface combatants. The Yajjdan (or Yazdan) subclass of frigates, HO-328 through HO-331, reflect this urgency. Over their hangars, they carry a 24-box launcher for YDG-61 IR-guided point defense missiles; the added weight of this launcher required that the hangar structure be strengthened during construction. HO-328 Yajjdan was also the first Menghean ship to be armed with the YDG-7N, which had folding fins, allowing it to be packed four to a cell in the Mark 41 Vertical Launching System.

Another unrelated but interesting feature of HO-328 is that she was the first Menghean Navy ship to carry her hull-side name calligraphy in a minority language. Yazdan, transliterated into the Menghean language as Yajjdan with a double-j Sinmun component, is a League in the Ketchvan Autonomous Province, and the ship's name is written in the Dzungar script used by the Ketchvan language. Dzungar and Ketchvan script are normally written from top-to-bottom, but Yajjdan's name is written left-to-right to fit on the hull.



The last eight Yechŏn-class frigates, starting with HO-332 Dŏkju, constitute the third subclass. Unlike the Yajjdans, which were modified after being laid down, these ships were laid down to a different design. They feature a taller hourglass-shaped main sensor mast with a more powerful Smart-S MK2 radar, a more advanced JJ-9 combined ESM/ECM system, and better RCS reduction. The aft sensor mast was also changed, with the HR-280 surface search radar giving way to a more conventional SIGINT mast (atmospheric ducting apparently judged too unreliable). The two GBM-23/5 Bulkkot CIWS mounts have been replaced by GBM-23/5Y Dungji mounts with 16 YDG-61 missiles each, eliminating the need for a separate YDG-61 box launcher as seen on the Yajjdan group.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Ginam-class frigate


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Ginam-class_frigate

Conventionally classified as frigates in Western reference sources, the Ginam-class ships (designed as Plan 314) were initially classified in Menghe as "large anti-submarine patrol ships," acronym DChD. At the time of their commissioning, they were the closest thing the Menghean Navy had to anti-submarine cruisers, with a hangar and landing pad for an anti-submarine helicopter, command facilities to coordinate a group of smaller anti-submarine ships, and a reasonably long-ranged HR-210 3D air search radar. Beyond this, they took the dedicated ASW role to extremes. Their only surface-to-air missile armament consisted of two manually-aimed chair launchers for YDG-34 MANPADS, and they carried no anti-ship missiles, only a 100mm gun and torpedoes with anti-shipping capabilities. In actual combat--which none of the eight Ginams ever saw--these ships would have been exceptionally vulnerable to anti-ship missiles and even guided bombs.



During the 1990s, the Menghean Navy considered several plans to refit the Ginam-class ships for a mid-life service extension. Designers mulled plans to add a surface-to-air missile system, such as an eight-missile YDG-36 launcher and magazine forward of the bridge, but these plans were rejected as they would increase manpower requirements while reducing the space for crew accommodations. Likewise, plans to add YDH-24 anti-ship missile boxes were rejected as the only feasible location for the launch boxes would require removing the torpedo tubes.

Instead, the standard mid-life refit for the Ginam-class frigate involved minor electronic and sensor updates. The torpedo tubes were refitted to support the UGST wire-guided torpedo and HŎ-2 anti-submarine rocket, with datalinks on the forward mast providing mid-course guidance for the latter. Baram-1 launchers were added forward of the bridge, with limited firing arcs, and the YDG-34 launchers were replaced with YDG-38 launchers, still with four tubes on each mount. SATCOM domes flanking the funnel allowed these ships to communicate with Menghe's slow-growing network of communication satellites and relay information to other ships in their formation.

The above image shows DChJ-652 Buchŏn immediately after her refit completion in 1997. Note her revised designation: in 1995, to reflect the introduction of the much larger Chanjok Jachido-class cruisers, the Ginams were downgraded to "medium" anti-submarine patrol ships.



The first two ships to be refitted, DChJ-652 Buchŏn and DChJ-653 Hanrim, retained the HRDJ Type 75 I-band periscope detection radar of the original fit. DChJ-654 Sŏnggi, DChJ-655 Yŏn'gi, and DChJ-656 Oju were instead refitted with the HR-44G search radar, which, in addition to detecting periscopes and submarine sensor masts more reliably, can also detect incoming anti-ship missiles and low-flying aircraft at a range of 20 kilometers. Sŏnggi was the first operational Menghean warship to be fitted with this radar system, which became commonplace on Menghean warships of the 2000s and early 2010s.



In the mid-2000s, the five Ginam-class frigates still in Navy service underwent minor refits. The main changes were the addition of datalinks and radio antennas to communicate with the newer generation of Menghean Navy ships and aircraft, which had switched to a different datalink system with the availability of foreign equipment in 2001, and the addition of box launchers for YDH-26 anti-ship missiles. These box launchers were added forward of the bridge in two sets of two boxes, echoing the placement of the YDH-24 missile boxes on the Chanjok Jachido-class cruisers. This required moving the Baram-1 chaff and flare launchers to new positions aft of the torpedo tubes, which in turn required moving the HBDJ-6/7 anti-frogman rocket launchers to the foredeck.



The Menghean Navy retired Ginam in 1994, at which time she was still classified as a large ASW patrol ship and lacked a permanent hull number. Her sister ship Chasŏ joined her the following year, just a few months after receiving the permanent hull number DChJ-650. That year, both ships were transferred to the Menghean Maritime Border Patrol Force, the precursor to today's Menghean Maritime Security Force. Their MANPADS launchers were removed, but shoulder-launched MANPADS tubes could be stored in onboard lockers; they no longer received sailors to staff their sonar battle stations, but the sonar equipment was retained. In war, these ships could be reactivated for anti-submarine patrol duties, but in peacetime they would be cheaper to operate and would not appear on the Navy's budget. Only Ginam and Chasŏ were transferred in this way, receiving the hull numbers 4000 and 4001 respectively.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.

Plan 145 submarine chaser


Main article: https://iiwiki.us/wiki/Plan_145_submarine_chaser

The Plan 145 submarine chasers were a class of small patrol vessel built in the Democratic People's Republic of Menghe during the 1970s. Initially, they were designated as small anti-submarine patrol ships (sohyŏng dae-jamsuham chogyeham), but after the 1995 ship reclassification they were retroactively reclassified as coastal anti-submarine patrol ships. During the 1990s, these ships were repurposed as patrol ships for the Maritime Border Security Force, retaining their anti-submarine weapons so that they could serve as auxiliary escorts in wartime. All have been retired from Menghean service, though some were exported to Polvokia and remained in use there as recently as 2015.



Though they were almost immediately obsolete as anti-submarine craft and general surface combatants, the Plan 145s made for relatively good patrol vessels. After completing a foreign order in 1979-1984, the Anchŏn Coastal Warship Yard produced an additional set of vessels to a modified design, "Plan 1451". This subclass omitted all anti-submarine sensors and armament, as well as the 23mm anti-air guns, though it retained the 50mm anti-air guns and added 12.7mm HMGs on the bridge wings. Other notable changes in profile, helpful in distinguishing Plan 1451 from Plan 145 vessels, include the addition of a large spotlight forward of the bridge, the enclosed wheelhouse, the larger and more squad pyramid lattice mast, and the larger boat davits. These ships served with the Menghean Maritime Police Force, and were used to harass suspected enemy spy ships and intercept fleeing refugees and defectors during the tense and turbulent mid-1980s.



Menghe's political situation improved after 1987, and the order for Plan 1451 patrol vessels stopped at 13.

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Currently posting my latest ship art on my Menghean Navy AU thread, but most of my stuff is on iiWiki.

A bad peace is preferable to a terrible war.