Type 0891A training ship

History
PRC
Name	Shichang
Namesake	Deng Shichang
Builder	Quixin Shipyard, Shanghai[1]
Completed	28 December 1996[1]
Commissioned	January 1997[2]
Status	In service as of 2011
Notes	Pennant number : 82
General characteristics
Displacement	9,500 long tons (9,700 t) (full)[3]
Length	125 m (410 ft)[3]
Beam	19 m (62 ft)[3]
Draught	10.6 m (35 ft)[3]
Propulsion	2 diesels, 2 shafts[3]
Speed	17.5 knots (32.4 km/h; 20.1 mph)[3]
Capacity	Up to 300 TEU as logistics ship[3]
Complement	200 (including cadets)[3]
Aviation facilities	Aft helicopter deck; space for 2 to 4 Harbin Zhi-9A helicopters[2]

The Type 0891A (NATO reporting name Dashi), also known as Shichang (82), is China's first aviation ship.^[4] It primarily serves as a training ship, helicopter launch vehicle, and medical treatment facility in the People's Liberation Army Navy. The ship is named after Deng Shichang, a Qing dynasty naval captain who died in the Battle of the Yalu River (1894) during the First Sino-Japanese War.

Experience during drills and war games revealed the lack of shipboard armaments makes Shichang inadequate for training weaponry operating crews. However, the ship provides sufficient training for all other crew functions. The layout of the ship is very similar to that of RFA Argus (A135), emphasizing helicopter training ship and helicopter support ship missions.

The modular design of the ship incorporates containerized modules used to expand its mission. More trainees can be accommodated with additional housing and training containers, or medical capability can be rapidly improved by addition of a containerized field hospital.

References[]

External links[]

• GlobalSecurity.org