ROCS Tian Dan (FFG-1110)
| History | |
|---|---|
 Taiwan
| |
| Name: | ROCS Tian Dan (FFG-1110) |
| Builder: | |
| Laid down: | 22 February 2001 |
| Launched: | 17 October 2002 |
| Commissioned: | 11 March 2004 |
| Status: | in active service, as of 2016 |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type: | Cheng Kung-class frigate |
| Displacement: | 4,103 tons full |
| Length: | 453 ft (138 m) |
| Beam: | 46.95 ft (14.31 m) |
| Propulsion: | General Electric LM2500-30 gas turbines, 40,000 shp total |
| Speed: | 29 knots |
| Complement: |
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| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Electronic warfare & decoys: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | Sikorsky S-70C-1/2 |
ROCS Tian Dan (田單, PFG-1110) is the eighth ship of the Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigates of the Republic of China Navy, which was based on the Oliver Hazard Perry class of the United States Navy. Tian Dan was laid down in December 2001, launched on 17 October 2002, and commissioned on 11 March 2004.
The relatively large time gap between the construction of Tian Dan and the previous Cheng Kung-class frigate, Chang Chien, can be accounted by that Tian Dan was not intended to be of the standard Cheng Kung design. Initially, the design of Tian Dan was going to be modified to fit a lighter version of AEGIS that later became SPY-1F, and the drawings looked very much like the Spanish Navy Álvaro de Bazán (F-100) class frigates. However, due to uncertain risks at the time, such as the need for ROCN to bear the full cost of the SPY-1F design, and concerns of putting such a system on such a small hull, forced ROCN to abandon this ambitious plan by mid 1990s. The original plan called for three more SPY-1F AGEIS type frigates, in addition to Tian Dan. Álvaro de Bazán can be seen as a realization of this plan with SPY-1F system.
Like her sister ships, Tian Dan was constructed by China SB Corp., at its primary shipyard in Kaohsiung City, Taiwan, Republic of China. But this ship is different from her sister ships by not having the two Bofors 40mm/L70 guns installed. Tian Dan is named after Tian Dan, a general of the Warring States period.
As of 2006, Tian Dan is home ported at ROCN Tso-Ying naval base.
On March 14, 2014, Tian Dan, along with two of Taiwan's Coastguard patrol vessels, arrived in the South China Sea between Malaysia and Vietnam to join the multi-national search and rescue operation for the missing Malaysia Airlines MH370 flight.
