It was September 14, Juche 67 (1978) when he got aboard the ship for the first time. Since then, he had used it for more than 500 times to inspect military units and various sectors of the national economy over the past 30 odd years.

One day in September 1991 he set out on a journey, aboard the ship, to give field guidance.

Wind began blowing at dawn and turned to be a hurricane in the morning. The stormy wind caused huge waves which slashed windows and flooded the deck of the ship.

As the ship arrived in the destination, going through raging waters inch by inch, Kim Jong Il praised the crew for safely operating the ship even in the rough wind.

One day in January 2010, he got on the ship to make an inspection tour of a military unit.

That day the sea recorded three-meter-high waves with wind speed of 15 meters per second. During its voyage the deck and all other parts of the ship were covered with thick ice, and at its destination crewmen could hardly find where a door-knob of the leader's cabin was. So, they cut and melted ice to open the door of his cabin.

But he was afraid of the safety of the ship's crewmen, advising officials to lay the deck with teakwood lest crewmen slip in such rough weather.

In such way, he made a long journey of field guidance and military inspection with this ship regardless of weather conditions to ensure the country's security and provide the people with better living conditions.

The ship "Chungsong" No. 1603 is one of reminders of the enduring feats Kim Jong Il performed for the people's wellbeing and the country's prosperity in his lifetime.