Shantou-class gunboat

Class overview
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
General characteristics
Type	Gunboat
Displacement	77.4 tonnes (76.2 long tons; 85.3 short tons)
Length	25.21 m (82 ft 9 in)[1]
Beam	6.06 m (19 ft 11 in)
Draft	1.8 m (5 ft 11 in)
Propulsion	2 × 3D12 diesel engines, 300 hp (224 kW) 2 × M50 diesel engines, 1,200 hp (895 kW) 4 × FANG shafts
Speed	22.4 knots (41.5 km/h; 25.8 mph)
Range	770 mi (1,240 km) at 11.4 knots (21.1 km/h; 13.1 mph)
Complement	17
Sensors and processing systems	1 × navigational or surface search radar
Armament	4 × 37 mm (1.5 in) guns (2×2) 2 × 14.5 mm (0.57 in) heavy machine guns 2 × depth charge rails

The Shantou-class gunboat was a Chinese-built gunboat of the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy. Known in the United States as the "Swatow"^[1] class gunboat, it was based on the Soviet P-6 class torpedo boat. The boat is designated as Type 55A (55 Jia Xing, 55甲型). Instead of being wooden hulled, and having torpedoes as the main armament, the Shantou class is steel-hulled, with guns as the main armament. The Shantou (or Swatow) is the predecessor of the Type 062 gunboat, or more commonly known as the Shanghai-I & II class.

Service history

Entering service from 1955 through 1960, these vessels were completely removed from naval service by the mid-1990s, and were transferred to civilian law enforcement agencies. However, just like the Beihai, Huangpu, and Yulin class gunboats which had been transferred to law enforcement agencies, these obsolete and aging boats were not satisfactory in their new civilian roles, due largely to their low maximum speed (10 knots), which was not sufficient to catch the smugglers' high-speed motorboats. As a result, these boats were subsequently transferred again, this time to the reserves; or subordinated to naval militias in various Military Maritime Districts in China as training boats, or harbor patrol boats. Like the aforementioned gunboats before it, the Swatow class, arriving for its new role(s) will likewise see increased conversions, some mothballing, and then eventually being scrapped.

Again, as with previous units (vessels), many of the surviving boats are being converted to naval auxiliaries, such as firing (gunnery) range support craft, target control boat (remote controlling of target drones), as well as being target drones themselves.

Despite the small number of scientific instruments they carried, most of the range support boats in the PLAN also shoulder the responsibility of inshore surveying, regardless of their limitations. Originally, the majority of the hydrographic surveys had been conducted by civilian fishing vessels which had additional scientific equipment, naval and governmental crews on board. However, since the Chinese economic reform, and the depletion of the fishery resources, the civilian fishing vessels must venture much further out into open ocean on extended voyages, thus were no longer available for coastal or inland water survey operations. Duties which had previously been assigned under the planned economy era in China prior to the economic reform. Consequently, the Chinese Navy must come up with their own solutions to meet these new demands, and the conversion of obsolete gunboats was one of the answers: although many of these vessels can no longer venture into the open sea, nor reach the speeds that they once could, they are still reliable enough to perform the duties of low speed inshore surveying tasks within the confines of river mouths and bays of Chinese coastlines.

Contrary to the commonly held, but erroneous belief that the Chinese Navy is following the tradition of maintaining weaponry on many of its auxiliaries (though there is certainly some degree of this), the retention was primarily for economic reasons: to avoid conversion costs, the original armament(s) were retained unless they were no longer serviceable. Consequently, many of the range support, surveying boats, and other auxiliary craft still maintain some of their former fighting capabilities.

This class was exported to the Democratic Republic of Vietnam and was in service with its navy during the Vietnam War, including service at the time of the Gulf of Tonkin incident (see Edwin E. Moise, Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War, University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 1996:701-1.

References

Bibliography

• Moise, Edwin E. Tonkin Gulf and the Escalation of the Vietnam War. (1996) The University of North Carolina Press. ISBN 0-8078-2300-7.

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Active ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy

Submarines

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Principal surface combatants

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Coastal warfare vessels

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Amphibious warfare vessels

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Mine warfare vessels (MCM)
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Auxiliary vessels

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Type 911 Dazar class Type 912/912I/912III/Type 912IIIA Yanbai class Type 912IIIAH Yanci class Dive tenders (YDT) Longma class ARS/YDT Type 904I/904II Yanqian class AGE/YDT Dredgers (AGD) 8-m3 class Beijun 204 class Dongjun 417 class Dongjun 433 class Dongjun 434 class Nanjun 610 class Dredgers of unknown class/type: Bei-Jun 271, 273, 274, 277 & 278 Engineering ships Engineering ships of unknown class/type: Bei-Gong 275 & 276 Environmental research ships (AGER) Dulaji class Fleet Replenishment ship (AEFS) Type 901 Fuyu class Type 903 Fuchi I class Type 903A Fuchi II class Type 908 Fusu class Floating pile drivers (YPD) 36-m class floating pile driver Donggong 429 class Nangong 681 class General purpose research ships (AGE) Dubei class AGT/AGE Kandao class YFB/AGE Kantan class AGTR/AGE Type 904I & Type 904II Yanqian class YDT/AGE Type 906 Xiang Yang Hong 9 class YTT/AGE Harbor utility craft (YFU) Converted from various retired gunboats such as Type 53 and Type 55A Hospital ships (AH) Hospital ships (AH) Type 919 Anshen class Type 920 Anwei class Medical evacuation ships (AHP) Zhuanghe Ambulance transports (APH) Qiongsha class Ambulance craftd (YH) Ankang class Hydrographic survey ships (AGS) Type 55 Shantou class Type 068/069 (Yuch'in class) Type 635 A/B/C & Type 635II Yanlai class Type 636A Shupang class Type 639A Shupang class Type 646 Kanyang class Type 8101 Type 8105/Type 8154/Type 792 FT-14 AIT class Yanjiu class Icebreakers (AGB) Type 272 Museum ships PLANS Heroic Gunboat in the Toumenshan Naval Battle PLANS Liberation Minquan-class gunboat (replica) Project 183 P-6-class torpedo boat Type 021 missile boat Type 024 missile boat Type 031 ballistic submarine (SSB) Type 033 submarine (SS) Type 051 destroyer (DDG) Type 053K frigate (FFG) Type 091 submarine (SSN) Type 6607 destroyer (DDG) Oceanographic research ships (AGOR) Type 639A Shupang class Type 645 Zhang Jian Oceanographic surveillance ships (AGOS) Ruili No. 10 Type 927 Dongjian class Type 988 Personnel transport (AP) Barracks ships (APB) Daguan class AXT/APT/APB Dispatch boat (YFB/YFL) Duchuan class Dufei class Dukou class Duludao class Dumujiu class Dusso class Duzhou class Nanjiao 90 class Transport ships (AP) Type 081 Red Flag class Darong class APT/AP Troopships (APT) Daguan class AXT/APB/APT Darong class AP/APT Qiongsha class Range support & target ships (AGT) Dachou class TR/TWR/AGT Dubei class AGE/AGT Type 811 Type 917 Damen class TR/TWR/AGT Decommissioned ships Repair ships (AR) Repair dry docks (ARD) 120t class Dongxiu 912 Hua Chuan No. 1 class Repair ships (AR) Type 648 Dadao class Rescue and salvage ships Heavy-lift ship (YHLC) Type 633 Rescue ships (ARS) Datuo class ATR/ARS Haijiu 101 class Longma class YDT/ARS Type 917 Dasan class Salvage ships (ATS) Type 922II Dalang class Type 922III Dalang II class Type 922IIIA Dalang III class Spy ships (AGI) Type 814A Dadie class Type 815 Dongdiao I class Type 815G/Type 815A Dongdiao II class Type 8105/Type 8154/Type 792 FT-14 AIT class Submarine support ships Submarine rescue ships (ASR) Type 930 Hudong class Type 946 Dazhou class Type 946A Dadong class Submarine tenders (AS) Type 925 Dajiang class Type 926 Dalao class Submersibles (X) Deep-submergence rescue vehicle (DSRV) Type 7103 DSRV LR7 Deep-submergence vehicle (DSV) Harmony class Jiaolong class Rainbowfish class Sea Pole class Struggler class Other Submersibles (X) Osprey-class submersible Mobile diving bell QSZ-II submersible Diver propulsion vehicles (DPV) QX-50 QY-18 QY-40 QJY-001 Tankers Replenishment tanker (AOR) Hua Chuan Transport oiler (AOT) Fubai class Fujian class Fushi class Type 620 Shengli class Type 631 Fuchang class Type 637 Fuxiao class Water tanker (AWT) Fujian class Fushi class Jinyou class Nanshui 701 class Type 637 Fuxiao class Type 645 Guangzhou class Technological research ships Sonar trials ships Kantan class AGE/AGTR Technical research ships (AGTR) Mirage Hunter Unclassified Miscellaneous Submarine (IXSS) Chinese sailless submarine Torpedo trials craft Torpedo retrievers (TR/TWR) Dachou class AGT/TR/TWR Type 803 Type 917 Damen class AGT/TR/TWR Torpedo trials ships (YTT) Type 906 Xiang Yang Hong 9 class AGE/YTT Type 907A Tracking ship (AGM) Type 830 ATR/AGM Yuanwang class ARIS/AGM Training ships (AX) Training ship (AX) Daguan APB)/APT/AXT Type 0891A Dashi class Type 679 Daxing class Type 680 Dadu class Yanxi class ATLS/AX Training ship, sail (AXS) Type 2630 Onshore stationary training facilities Type 033 (Romeo class) Type 051/051Z (Luda class) Type 053H1Q (Jianghu-IV class) Type 6607 (Anshan class) Tugs (AT) Harbor tug (YT) Beituo 617 class Beituo 699 class Beituo 702 class Beituo 715 class Large harbor tug (YTB) Ducha class Duda class Duhast class Dupo class Rescue Tug (ATR) Bei-Tuo 739 class Datuo class ARS/ATR Dong-Tuo 835 class Haixiu 121 class Daozha class Type 830 AGM/ATR Sea-going Tug (ATA) Type 802 Gromovoy class Type 837 Hujiu class Type 852 Roslavl class Tugs of unknown class/type Bei-Tuo 153, 651, 704, 728, Dong-Tuo 845, 861, Nan-Tuo 142, 163, 168, 176, 187, 188 UAV mothershps (ATLS) Fighting Shark No.1 Yanxi class AGM/AVM/ATLS Unmanned surface vehicles (USV) CASIC USVs Chinese Sea Hunter Sky Journey 1 HUST USVs JARI USV JUST USV Ostar USVs PWT USV Shanghai University USV Type 80 demolition boat VVLAI USV WSST USVs Yunzhou USVs Unmanned underwater vehicles (UUV) Autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV) CR series Explorer series HSU-001 Intelligent Water class JUST AUVs Micro Dragon Series Orange Shark series Ostar AUVs Poseidon series Robosea AUVs Sea Clever Sea Whale series Submerged Dragon series THLMT AUVs Wukong WZODA XTDT Benthic landers CAS series Rainbowfish series Bottom crawlers Aquadrobotman series CSSC series Deepinfar series JUST series Robosea series SBSS series Sea Crab Sea Star THLMT unmanned vehicles#Underwater series VVLAI series Hybrid UUVs (Autonomous remotely -operated vehicles, ARVs) 7B8 Arctic series Hadal Hadal 1 Rainbowfish ARV Remotely operated 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* = Under construction or procurement, ^CG= Classified as guided missile cruiser by NATO, ^FF= Classified as light frigate by PLAN