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| ▲ This file photo shows the naval ship USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830). (Yonhap) |
GANGNEUNG, Oct. 16 (Yonhap) -- Naval ship USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830), which survived through the Korean War and World War II, will now be taken apart due to its old age.
Gangneung City and the Republic of Korea Navy First Fleet have decided to dismantle the ship on display at Gangneung Unification Park and begun working on it since Friday.
The 3,471-ton ship, which is 118.9 meters in length and 12.5m wide, was built in the United States in 1944 and took part in World War II and the Korean War.
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| ▲ This file photo shows the naval ship USS Everett F. Larson (DD-830). (Yonhap) |
Since 2001, the naval ship has been on display at Gangneung Unification Park for more than 20 years, however observing the interior of the ship was completely suspended in July due to the worn-out facilities and concerns over safety, which ultimately caused the ship to disappear into history.
The corroded warship has not been easy to manage, especially when it rains.
During the safety inspection, the ship was assessed as C level, and since the old railings were not continuously repaired, this raised safety concerns for visitors looking inside the ship. Gangneung City also spent an additional 300 million won every year on the maintenance of the ship.
However, the decision to dismantle the ship was finalized as the maintenance costs kept snowballing and the number of tourists continued to decrease from 2014.
The dismantled materials will be sold within this year under the supervision of the Korean navy.
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