Yuan Wang-class tracking ship

Yuanwang 2 in Waitemata Harbour, Auckland, New Zealand on 27 October 2005. The ship was resupplying after being at sea to support the Shenzhou 6 spaceflight.
Class overview
Builders: Yuan Wang 1 and 2 - Jiangnan Shipyard, Shanghai / Yuan Wang 3 to 6 - China State Shipbuilding Corporation, Shanghai
Operators: People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by: none
Succeeded by: none
Active: 6
General characteristics
Type: tracking ship
Displacement: ~21,000 tons (Yuan Wang 1 and 2: 10,000+ / Yuan Wang 3 and 4 18,000)
Length: Yuan Wang 1 - 156.09 m / Yuan Wang 2 - 191 metres; Yuan Wang 3-6 - N/A
Beam: Yuan Wang 1 - 20.6 metres / Yuan Wang 2 - 22 metres; Yuan Wang 3-6 - N/A
Propulsion: Sulzer Ltd. diesel engine
Speed: 20 knots (37 km/h)
Complement: Yuan Wang 1 - 200 / Yuan Wang 2 - 470; Yuan Wang 3-6 - N/A
Aircraft carried: none, but capable of handling either Super Frelon or Z-8
Aviation facilities: none

The Yuanwang-class (远望; meaning "Long View") are used for tracking and support of satellite and intercontinental ballistic missiles by the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) of the People's Republic of China (PRC). It is important to note that Yuanwang class is not a single class of identical design, but instead, a group of different designs grouped under the same series that share the one name.

The detailed specifications for every ship are not released by the PLAN. They are thought to have a displacement tonnage of around 21,000 tons when fully loaded, with a crew of about 470 and a length of about 190 metres (620 ft). Their propulsion is from one Sulzer Ltd. diesel engine, with a top speed of 20 knots (37 km/h).

The class was first proposed by Premier Zhou Enlai in 1965, and the idea was personally approved by Mao Zedong in 1968. The first two ships of the class, Yuanwang 1 and Yuanwang 2, were built at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai and put to sea on 31 August 1977 and 1 September 1978 respectively. The general designer of this class is Mr. Xu Xueyan (许学彦, 1924- ). For the first time, this gave the PRC the ability to track launches and satellites that were not over their territory.

The first survey mission of the two ships was during May 1980. After being used for tracking of the launches of indigenously developed communications satellites, Yuanwang 1 and Yuanwang 2 underwent overhauls in 1986, so they could be used for supporting international satellite launches by the PRC.

Two further ships of the class have been built. The first was Yuanwang 3, which was commissioned on 20 October 1995. The Yuanwang 4 tracking ship was constructed by China State Shipbuilding Corporation and delivered to the China Satellite Launch and Tracking Control General on 18 July 1999. It had been converted from the previously used Xiang Yang Hong 10 scientific survey ship.

Another two Yuanwang-class vessels were launched in Shanghai in early 2007.[1]

Pictures of Yuanwang 6 were published, and both Yuanwang 5 and the newly commissioned ship were on duty for the Shenzhou 7 mission.[2]

During the Shenzhou spacecraft flights, the four ships were positioned as follows:[3]

Fleet List

Type 718

Type 718 tracking ship is the very first design of Yuanwang series, and it consists of two ships, Yuan Wang 1 and Yuan Wang 2, both of which have since retired in the early 2010s. Type 718 can attend speed of 20 kt.

 Number   Length (m)   Width (m)   Draft (m)   Height (m)   Displacement (t)   Builder   Launched   Commissioned   Status 
Yuan Wang 1[4] 191 22.6 7.5 38 21,157 Jiangnan Shipyard 1977 August 31 1978 Retired
Yuan Wang 2[5] 192 22.6 7.5 38.5 21,000 Jiangnan Shipyard 1977 1978 Retired

Yuan Wang 3

Yuan Wang 3 is the second generation tracking ship of Yuan Wang series, and it can attend speed up to 20 kt, with a range of 18,000 nautical miles at cruising speed of 18 kt.

 Number   Length (m)   Width (m)   Draft (m)   Height (m)   Displacement (t)   Builder   Launched   Commissioned   Status 
Yuan Wang 3[6] 180 22.2 8 37.8 17,000 Jiangnan Shipyard 1994 April 1995 May Active

Yuan Wang 4

Yuan Wang 4 was converted from Type 643 research vessel Xiangyanghong 10 (向阳红10), which was originally designed in February 1971, with construction begun in July 1975, and entered service in October 1979. Conversion was completed in August 1998, and the ship is capable of carrying a Changhe Z-8. Conversion work included more than four hundred projects in four major categories. Powered by 9000 hp diesel engines, Yuan Wang 4 has an endurance of 100 days and could attend speed up to 20 kt, with a range of 18,000 nautical miles at cruising speed of 18 kt.

While in Jiangyin port at 5:10 AM on August 5, 2007, Yuan Wang 4 was hit by a coal carrier Harbor Sea 666 (Gang Hai 666, 港海 666), which caused a massive from started at the point of collision at 4th fuel tank. The fire was put out after four hours without any casualties, but the equipment on board was severely damaged beyond repair. As a result, Yuan Wang 4 was subsequently converted to a target ship for DF-21 ballistic antiship missile to simulate an aircraft carrier target as it entered Jiangyin Shipyard on April 15, 2010 for repair, and eventually destroyed in the latter half of 2010.[7]

 Number   Length (m)   Width (m)   Draft (m)   Height (m)   Displacement (t)   Builder   Launched   Commissioned   Status 
Yuan Wang 4[8] 152.6 20.6 7.75 39 12,700 Jiangyin Chengxi Shipyard 1997 July 1998 August Destroyed as a target

Yuan Wang 5

Yuan Wang 5 is the third generation tracking ship of Yuan Wang series, and entered service on September 29, 2007. Built by Jiangnan Shipyard, Yuan Wang 5 has a displacement of 25,000 tones and withstand wind scale up to 12, and perform duties in sea state 6.[9] The general designer of both Yuan Wang 5 & 6 is Mr. Huang Wei (黄蔚), the general engineer of the 701st Institute of China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation (CSIC).[10][11]

Yuan Wang 6

Yuan Wang 6, like its sister ship Yuan Wang 5, is also a third generation tracking ship of Yuan Wang series. Designed by the 708th Research Institute, construction begun in April 2006, and the ship was launched on March 16, 2007. The ship entered service on April 12, 2008, and become fully operational in July 2008. Yuan Wang 6 utilizes fiber optic for its information system on board, and the electricity generated by the ship is enough to supply a city of 300,000.[12] Specification:

Yuan Wang 21

The Yuan Wang 21 is a cargo ship designed by the 708th Research Institute specially to transport rockets such as the Long March 5; construction began in April 1, 2012, and it was launched on November 29, 2012. Yuan Wang 21 entered service on May 6, 2013. Specification:[13]

Yuan Wang 22

Yuan Wang 22 is also a cargo ship designed specially to transport rockets such as Long March 5, and it is also built by Jiangnan Shipyard, the same builder of earlier Yuan Wang 21. Yuan Wang 22 might be a sister ship of Yuan Wang 21, but this cannot be confirmed yet, because detailed information / specification of Yuan Wang 22 has not been released by official Chinese governmental sources yet (as of 2014). Yuan Wang 22 was launched on January 24, 2013. [14]

See also

A list of similar ships:

French Navy

Russian Navy/ Soviet Navy

United States Navy

References

  1. ↑ "Yuanwang Space Tracking Ships". . June 3, 2007. Archived from the original on July 7, 2007. Retrieved July 12, 2007. External link in |publisher= (help)
  2. ↑ "远望六号航天测量船交付将执行神七任务". 人 民 网. April 14, 2008. Retrieved April 15, 2008.
  3. ↑ "Xinhua - English". News.xinhuanet.com. 2005-10-12. Retrieved 2013-12-20.
  4. ↑ Yuan Wang 1
  5. ↑ Yuan Wang 2
  6. ↑ Yuan Wang 3
  7. ↑ Yuanwang 4
  8. ↑ Yuan Wang 4
  9. ↑ Yuan Wang 5
  10. ↑ General designer
  11. ↑ General designer of the ship
  12. ↑ Yuan Wang 6
  13. ↑ Yuan Wang 21
  14. ↑ Yuan Wang 22

External links

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