Taiwan’s Navy has decommissioned two of its eight Knox-class frigates. The navy intends to replace them with two Perry-class guided missile frigates in an effort to modernize the navy fleet.
The two Knox-class vessels were retired from service at a ceremony on Friday in the southern city of Kaohsiung. The navy plans to decommission all eight of its Knox-class frigates, which were built in the early 1970s and have been in service for more than 40 years. Before their sale to Taiwan in the mid-1990s, the ships belonged to the US navy.
Since Taiwan acquired the Knox-class frigates, they have detected submarines from various countries passing through waters off eastern Taiwan on several occasions.
Meanwhile, the navy is preparing to take delivery of two of four Perry-class guided missile frigates that the United States has agreed to sell to Taiwan. The first frigate is expected to arrive in Taiwan in the second half of 2016.