PLANS AX-81 Zheng He
Type 679 training ship Zheng He[1]
History
China
NamePLANS AX-81 Zheng He (郑和)
NamesakeZheng He
BuilderQiuxing (求新) Shipyard, Shanghai
Laid down6 Jul 1985
Launched12 Jul 1986
Commissioned30 Dec 1986
In service1987-Present
HomeportDalian, Liaoning
Nickname(s)NATO reporting name Daxin (大兴)
StatusActive
General characteristics
TypeTraining ship
Displacement5548 t
Length132.07 m (433.3 ft)
Beam15.8 m (52 ft)
Draft4.8 m (16 ft)
Propulsion2 SEMT-Pielstick diesels, 2 shafts, 7,200 bhp
Speed17 kn (reported)
Range10,000 nmi @ 17 kn
ComplementCrew: 170
Instructors: 30
Cadets: 108
Armament2 twin 57 mm
2 twin 30 mm guns
2 Type 81 Mod 1200 rocket launcher (5 tubes)
Aircraft carried1 Changhe Z-8

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]

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]

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

  1. ^ "81 郑和号训练舰". haijun360.com.
  2. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "Type 679 Zhenghe (81) Daxin/Daxing Class (Training Ship)". globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
  7. ^ Zhang, Xiaomin (17 April 2012). "Naval training ship going round the globe". China Daily.
  8. ^ "Exploring the Ocean and Spreading Friendship". chinanews.com. Retrieved 10 May 2020.
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