China holds 72nd navy anniversary, commissions new landing helicopter dock, cruiser, nuclear ballistic missile submarine

Chinese President Xi Jinping leads commissioning of 3 new major ships of the PLAN. Photo c/o Naval News.

The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) celebrated its 72nd founding anniversary at Yulin Naval Base in Hainan, with ceremonies held on 23 April 2021 and attended by Chinese President Xi Jin Ping.

The highlight of the anniversary includes the commissioning of three newly constructed major naval assets, specifically its first Type 075 Yushen-class landing helicopter dock (LHD), its third Type 055 Renhai-class guided missile destroyer (cruiser), and a Type 094 Jin-class nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine (SSBN).

The new LHD was named Hainan, with hull number 31, was indigenously designed and built by Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard in Shanghai. The ship brings in new capabilities to the PLAN in support of amphibious assault and naval aviation, being larger than previous amphibious assault ships in the PLAN and having full-length flight deck similar to a small aircraft carrier while retaining a floodable well deck for landing crafts and assault vehicles.

The new Renhai-class destroyer, named Dalian (105), was designed to act as the primary air defense escorts of aircraft carriers, and the class was actually designated as guided missile cruisers by the US Navy due to their size, and similar roles and capabilities as their own Ticonderoga-class cruisers.

The Jin-class SSBM, believed to be named Changzhen 18 (421) increases the naval nuclear weapons delivery of the People’s Liberation Army, with each submarine armed with 12 JL-2 (CSS-N-14) submarine-launched ballistic missiles (SLBM) which has a range of around 7,200 kilometers and can carry up to 8 nuclear warheads in multiple independently targetable re-entry vehicles (MIRV). 

 

[1] Jane’s

[2] Naval News