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Type 792 naval trawler

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Class overview
Operators People's Liberation Army Navy
General characteristics
TypeType 792
Draft3.04 m (10 ft 0 in)
Electronic warfare
& decoys		None
Armamentlight arms
ArmourNone
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

Type 792 naval trawler is a Chinese auxiliary ship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), deployed as intelligence gathering spy ship.[1] Type 792 and its predecessor Type 8154, along with Type 8105 naval trawlers have all received NATO reporting name FT-14 AIT class,[2][3][4] meaning Fishing Trawler - 14 Auxiliary Intelligence-gathering Trawler.

Type 8101 naval trawler

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The origin of the Type 792 naval trawler can be traced back to the Type 8101 naval trawler, which is one of the follow–on types of the Type 8105 naval trawler.[1] Due to the insufficient speed of Type 801, the Chinese navy needed a more powerful ship when performing intelligence gathering missions, and thus selected the 600 horsepower Type 8101 fishing trawler that was developed in 1975.[1][5] Along with Type 8105 naval trawler, Type 8101 naval trawler has been produced in higher numbers than their predecessors,[1][6] and both had been equipped with rudimentary COMINT gears in addition to handheld cameras.[1][7] Specification:[1][8]

  • Speed: 11 kt
  • Displacement: 200 ton

Before Chinese economic reform, it was relatively easy for the PLAN to command private vessels for military use in emergencies when everything was government-owned in a planned economy, but this has become increasingly difficult to do after the reform due to private ownership. However, PLAN has to keep a very large number of auxiliary minesweepers to prepare for war, and as a result, when Type 8105 and earlier Type 113, Type 801 naval trawlers had retired from their intelligence gathering role, they were converted to auxiliary minesweepers and placed in operational reserve of PLAN.[9] In addition, environmental problems have caused constant geological/geographical/hydrographical changes in Chinese waters, hence creating huge survey requirement, thus a number of these retired spy ships have also been converted to survey vessels to meet the extremely heavy hydrographic survey requirement.[10]

In late June 1979, Type 8101 naval trawler along with Type 8105 naval trawler participated in the shadowing former-Soviet aircraft carrier Minsk task force in the South China Sea, a mission failed because the slow speed of both types meant that they could not keep up with the targets even when targets were sailing at cruise speed.[1][6] As a result, both Type 8101 and 8105 have to be deployed in-place on sea lanes to wait for their intended targets to pass, like their predecessors when performing intelligence gathering duties.

Type 8154 naval trawler

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Based on the feedback from civilian customers, the developer of the Type 8101 trawler greatly enhanced the design to improve the operability in heavy seas, resulting in a faster Type 8154 trawler completed in 1981.[11] However, deployment in PLAN hands revealed that the 12.2 kt speed is simply too slow to shadow targeted foreign fleet at cruise speed. As a result, those Type 8154 trawlers that entered PLAN service were upgraded with 800 hp to reach a speed of 15.5 kt, and eventually, 960 hp engine to reach 16 kt speed.[1][12] Some Type 8154 are also equipped with satellite communication antenna for long range missions.[12] Specification:[1][11]

  • Length: 47 meter
  • Beam: 8.2 meter
  • Depth: 4 meter
  • Draft: 3.04 meter
  • Propulsion: 960 hp
  • Displacement: 600 ton
  • Speed: 16 kt
  • Crew: 17

Due to its large size, unlike its retired predecessors that were only converted to hydrographic survey vessels and auxiliary minesweepers, when Type 8154 retired from intelligence gathering missions, it was also converted to auxiliary minelayers[9] and ambulance ships[12] in addition to the usual minesweeper and survey ships.[1][12][9][10] Some of retired Chinese naval Type 8154 trawlers were also transferred to PLA ground force to continue their intelligence gathering mission.[1][13]

Type 792 naval trawler

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A decade after Type 8154 entered service, its successor Type 792 naval trawler entered the Chinese navy service.[1] Due to automation, the larger Type 792 requires a lesser crew to man it.[1][14] Design began in 1983, and passed acceptance certification in 1989.[15] Unlike its predecessors that begun as a fishing trawler and then converted to the naval trawler, Type 792 was sole designed as a naval trawler, to begin with, and it was only later when the fishing version appeared.[1] Specification:[11][16]

  • Draft: 3.04 meter
  • Displacement: 600 ton

In comparison to its predecessors that served their intelligence-gathering role for several decades, some of Type 792 have already been converted to auxiliary minesweepers[9] and placed in operational reserve relatively early due to the availability of larger spy ships.

Ships

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PLAN has begun to retire Type 8101 and 8154 from front-line spy missions, and convert them to perform mine warfare and hydrographic survey missions.[10] Type 792 in active intelligence gathering missions have been identified, but there are also additional units performing mine warfare and hydrographic survey missions.

Type NATO designation Pennant No. Name
(English) 		Name
(Han 中文) 		Commissioned Displacement Fleet Status
Type 792 naval trawler FT-14 AIT class Zhan-Yu 819 Zhanjiang Fishing 819 湛渔 819 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhan-Yu 820 Zhanjiang Fishing 820 湛渔 820 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhan-Yu 821 Zhanjiang Fishing 821 湛渔 821 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhan-Yu 822 Zhanjiang Fishing 822 湛渔 822 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhe-Hai-Yu 626 Zhejiang Haining Fishing 626 浙海渔 626 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhe-Hai-Yu 627 Zhejiang Haining Fishing 627 浙海渔 627 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhe-Hai-Yu 628 Zhejiang Haining Fishing 628 浙海渔 628 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Zhe-Hai-Yu 629 Zhejiang Haining Fishing 629 浙海渔 629 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Various Various Various 1989 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Type 8154 naval trawler Various Various Various 1981 onward 600 t All fleets Active
Type 8101 naval trawler ? Various Various Various 1981 onward 200 t All fleets Active

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n "Type 8101, 6154 & 792 naval trawlers" (in Simplified Chinese). May 27, 2021.
  2. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
  3. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ "Type 8101 naval trawler" (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  6. ^ a b "Type 8101 & 8105 naval trawlers" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  7. ^ "Type 8105 and 8101 naval trawlers" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  8. ^ "Type 8101 trawler" (in Traditional Chinese). June 21, 2021.
  9. ^ a b c d "Chinese naval trawlers converted to auxiliary minesweepers" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  10. ^ a b c "Chinese naval trawlers converted to survey vessels" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  11. ^ a b c "Type 8154 fishing trawler" (in Simplified Chinese). January 30, 2015.
  12. ^ a b c d "Type 8154 naval trawler" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  13. ^ "Naval trawler in service with PLA ground force" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  14. ^ "Type 792 requires smaller crew to operate" (in Simplified Chinese). November 11, 2015.
  15. ^ "Type 792 naval trawler" (PDF) (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved October 7, 2021.
  16. ^ "Type 792 trawler" (in Simplified Chinese). Retrieved March 3, 2022.
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