China retires three Jianghu II-class frigates, Type 906 supply ship

The Jianghu II-class frigate Jinhua (534). Photo c/o China Defense blog.

China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) retired three (3) of their older frigates on 13 July 2019, and also retired a supply ship on 15 July 2019.

The frigates are all assigned with the PLAN’s South Sea Fleet in charge of operating in

The frigates, all ships of the Type 053H1 Jianghu-II class are the Taizhou (533), Jinhua (534), and Linfen (545), all made in Hudong and were commissioned in June and December 1982, and September 1987, respectively.

The supply ship was a 156-meter long Type 904 Dayun-class, which was unnamed in reports.

The frigates are commonly equipped with two 100mm naval guns, four twin 37mm anti-aircraft guns, two Type 81 (copy of RBU-1200) 5-tube anti-submarine warfare rocket launchers, two Type 62 anti-submarine mortar launchers, and two depth charge racks. They are also armed with six SY-1 anti-ship missiles.

The PLAN is progressively replacing the older frigates with the new Type 054A frigates. It is also  building newer variants of the Type 906 supply ship called the Type 906B which are larger than earlier variants.


[1] Jane’s Defence Weekly
[2] China Defense Blog