Type 072 landing ship

The Type 072 (NATO reporting name: Yukan) is a class of tank landing ship in the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). Seven were built and began entering service by the early-1980s.^[1][2] They replaced American-built LSTs from the Second World War.^[2]

Class overview
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Succeeded by	Type 072II landing ship
Built	c. 1980 - 1995[1][2]
In service	c. 1980 - ?[1][2]
Completed	7[1][2]
Active	7[3]
General characteristics
Type	Tank landing ship
Displacement	4,237 tonnes (4,170 long tons; 4,670 short tons) (full)[1]
Length	120 metres (390 ft)[1]
Beam	15.3 metres (50 ft)[1]
Draught	2.9 metres (9 ft 6 in)[1]
Speed	18 knots (33 km/h; 21 mph)[1]
Range	3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km; 3,500 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[1]
Boats & landing craft carried	2 LCVP[1]
Troops	200 troops[1] 10 tanks[1]
Crew	109[1]
Sensors and processing systems	2 x Type 753 navigation radar[1]
Armament	1 x twin 57 mm gun[1] 2, 3, or 4 x twin 23 mm guns[1] 2 or 4 x twin 25 mm guns[1]

Production may have occurred at the Wuhan Shipyard, with the first completed in 1980,^[1] or at the Zhonghua Shipyard, with ships entering service from 1978 to 1995.^[2]

The bow ramp handles a 50 ton load, and the rear ramp a 20 ton load. It carries two American LCVPs.^[1][2]

Supply ship

A class of supply or ammunition ship (NATO reporting name: Yantai) was developed from the Type 072. Changes include a shorter forecastle, a blunter bow without a door, and the addition of cranes fore and aft of the superstructure.^[4][5]

Three^[4][5] were built by Zhonghua and entered PLAN service in 1992.^[5]

Ships of the class

Name	Hull No.	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
Type 072
Yuntaishan[3]	927[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Wufengshan[3]	928[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Zijinshan[3]	929[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Lingyanshan[3]	930[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Dongtingshan[3]	931[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Helanshan[3]	932[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Liupanshan[3]	933[3]				East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[3]
Supply ship variant
	745[4]				South Sea Fleet[4]	Active[4]
	757[4]				East Sea Fleet[4]	Active[4]
	938[4]				South Sea Fleet[4]	Active[4]

References

1. Saunders 2015, p. 155.
2. Wertheim 2013, p. 129.
3. United States Navy Office of Naval Intelligence (19 February 2020). PLA Navy Identification Guide (Report). Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
4. Saunders 2015, p. 162.
5. Wertheim 2013, p. 131.

Sources

• Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710631435.
• Wertheim, Eric (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (16 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591149545.