Summary
The Type 679 training ship with NATO reporting name Daxin, or 大兴 in Chinese meaning Great Prosper, is a Chinese training ship developed for the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The ship is more commonly known as Zheng He (Chinese: 郑和), after the Ming dynasty admiral of the same name.[2][3][4][5]
 Type 679 training ship Zheng He[1]
| |
| History | |
|---|---|
 China | |
| Name | PLANS AX-81 Zheng He (郑和) |
| Namesake | Zheng He |
| Builder | Qiuxing (求新) Shipyard, Shanghai |
| Laid down | 6 Jul 1985 |
| Launched | 12 Jul 1986 |
| Commissioned | 30 Dec 1986 |
| In service | 1987-Present |
| Homeport | Dalian, Liaoning |
| Nickname(s) | NATO reporting name Daxin (大兴) |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Type | Training ship |
| Displacement | 5548 t |
| Length | 132.07 m (433.3 ft) |
| Beam | 15.8 m (52 ft) |
| Draft | 4.8 m (16 ft) |
| Propulsion | 2 SEMT-Pielstick diesels, 2 shafts, 7,200 bhp |
| Speed | 17 kn (reported) |
| Range | 10,000 nmi @ 17 kn |
| Complement | Crew: 170 Instructors: 30 Cadets: 108 |
| Armament | 2 twin 57 mm 2 twin 30 mm guns 2 Type 81 Mod 1200 rocket launcher (5 tubes) |
| Aircraft carried | 1 Changhe Z-8 |
Zheng He is the first purpose-built training ship indigenously developed by China. Designed by the 708th Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), commonly known as China Shipbuilding and Oceanic Engineering Design Academy (中国船舶及海洋工程设计研究), the ship was built by Qiuxing (求新) Shipyard in Shanghai, a division of Jiangnan Shipyard.
The ship is designed to be crewed by 170 sailors and 30 instructors assigned to the ship. The ship has a large hospital on board to accommodate cadet classes. She was originally designed to house 108 cadets in addition to the crew and instructors. When the ship first entered service in 1987, she was the first ship in the PLAN to incorporate entertainment rooms (there are two such rooms). The vessel supports training in over forty subjects.[6]
In April 1989, Zheng He became the first ship in the PLAN to visit the United States when she visited Hawaii. Between April 16 and September 21, 2012, Zheng He conducted her first circumnavigation of the globe, crossing three oceans, visiting 11 countries, and covering more than 30,000 nautical miles over the course of a 159-day voyage.[7][8]
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Zheng He at Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. -
Zheng He during a visit to India in May 2014.
| Type | Pennant # | Name | Builder | Start | Launched | Commissioned | Named | Status | Fleet |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 679 | 81 | Zheng He | Jiangnan Shipyard | Jul 6, 1985 | Jul 12, 1986 | Dec 30, 1986 | Apr 1984 | Active | Dalian Naval Academy |
References edit
- ^ "81 郑和号训练舰". haijun360.com.
- ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
- ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
- ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
- ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.
- ^ "Type 679 Zhenghe (81) Daxin/Daxing Class (Training Ship)". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
- ^ Zhang, Xiaomin (17 April 2012). "Naval training ship going round the globe". China Daily.
- ^ "Exploring the Ocean and Spreading Friendship". chinanews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.