Class overview
Builders
Operators People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded byType 908 replenishment ship
Succeeded byType 901 replenishment ship
In commission2004
Completed9
Active9
General characteristics
TypeReplenishment oiler
Displacement23,369 tons (full load)[1]
Length178.5 metres (586 ft)[1]
Beam24.8 metres (81 ft)[1]
Draught8.7 metres (29 ft)[1]
Propulsion
Speed19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)[1]
Range10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[1]
Capacity10,500 tons of fuel oil, 250 tons of fresh water, 680 tons of cargo and ammunition[1]
Complement130[1]
Armament4 x twin 37 mm[1]
Aircraft carried1 Harbin Z-8[1] or Changhe Z-18[2]
Aviation facilitieshangar and flight deck[2]

The Type 903 (NATO reporting name: Fuchi) is a class of replenishment oiler (AOR) built for the People's Liberation Army Navy by the People's Republic of China.[1] They resemble HTMS Similan, an AOR built by China for Thailand and delivered in 1996.[1][3]

Two Type 903s entered service in 2003. Construction of the Type 903A, a slightly modified design, began in 2010; the first Type 903As entered service in 2013.[1]

Development

According to Zhang Gang, chief designer of Similan, China started development of a new AOR in 1988. Development was delayed due to cost, leading China to buy a Komandarm Fedko-class oiler, renamed Qinghaihu, from Ukraine in 1992. The new design was completed for Similan, which became the basis for the Type 903.[4]

Design

The Type 903 is a flush-decked development of the Type 905 AOR resembling the French Durance.[5]

There are two liquid and one sliding-stay solid transfer stations per side. Refuelling may also be conducted from the stern.[5]

Ships of the class

Name Hull No. Builder Launched Commissioned Fleet Status
Type 903
千岛湖 / Qiandaohu (ex-Fuchi)[1] 886[1] Hudong Shipyard[1] 29 March 2003[1] 30 April 2004[1] East Sea Fleet[1] Active[1]
微山湖 / Weishanhu[1] 887[1] Guangzhou Shipyard International[1] June 2003[1] 2004[1] South Sea Fleet[1] Active[1]
Type 903A
太湖 / Taihu[1] 889[1] Guangzhou Shipyard International 22 March 2012[1] 18 June 2013[1] North Sea Fleet[1] Active[1]
巢湖 / Chaohu[1] 890[1] Hudong Shipyard[1] 6 May 2012[1] 11 September 2013[1] East Sea Fleet[1] Active[1]
东平湖 / Dongpinghu[6] 960[6] Active[6]
洪湖 / Honghu[6] 963[6] Active[6]
骆马湖 / Luomahu[6] 964[6] Active[6]
高邮湖 / Gaoyouhu[6] 966[6] Active[6]
可可西里湖 / Kekexilihu[6] 968[6] Active[6]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 Saunders 2015, p. 160.
  2. 1 2 Tate, Andrew (11 June 2015). "China launches third Type 903A". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ↑ Saunders 2015, p. 840.
  4. ↑ Sheldon-Duplaix 2017, p. 100.
  5. 1 2 Wertheim 2013, p. 133.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 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.

Sources

  • Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710631435.
  • Sheldon-Duplaix, Alexandre (2017). "China's Auxiliary Fleet: Supporting a Blue-Water Navy in the Far Seas?". China's Evolving Surface Fleet. CSMI Red Book. Vol. 14. United States Naval War College. ISBN 978-1-935352-45-7.
  • 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.
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