Chinese ship Shichang

Shichang is a training ship in the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The ship is formally designated as a "defence mobilization vessel" and may be used for helicopter or navigation training, as a container ship, or as a hospital ship. It is the PLAN's first aviation training ship.^[1] The NATO reporting name for the type is Daishi-class AXT.^[2]

History
People's Republic of China
Name	Shichang
Builder	Qiuxin Shipyard[1]
Launched	April 1996[1]
Commissioned	27 January 1997[1]
Identification	Hull number: 82[1]
Status	Active
General characteristics
Class and type	Training ship[1]
Displacement	10,160 tonnes (full load)[1]
Length	120 metres (390 ft)[1]
Beam	18 metres (59 ft)[1]
Draught	7 metres (23 ft)[1]
Propulsion	2 x diesel engines;[1] 2 shafts[1]
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)[1]
Range	8,000 nautical miles (15,000 km; 9,200 mi) at 17 knots (31 km/h; 20 mph)[1]
Capacity	300 containers[1]
Complement	170 crew;[1] and 200 trainees[1]
Aircraft carried	2 x Harbin Z-9A[1]
Aviation facilities	Flight deck[1]

Design

The original plan was to convert Shichang from the civilian roll-on/roll-off ship Huayuankou; a new ship was built instead.^[3]

Shichang has a bridge structure forward with the flight deck occupying most of the remaining area behind it; the funnel is toward the stern on the starboard side. The flight deck has two landing spots and may be reconfigured;^[1] options include a modular hangar and control space behind the forward structure, or 300 standard 20-foot containers.^[3]

See also

• RFA Argus (A135), a Royal Navy auxiliary with a similar configuration

References

1. Saunders 2015, p. 159.
2. 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.
3. Wertheim 2013, pp. 136–137.

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.