Dajiang Class (Submarine Rescue Ship)

863 Yongxingdao

A Chinese rescue vessel left a military port in Sanya in south China's Hainan Province 06 January 2015 for the search operation for the black boxes from the ill-fated AirAsia Flight QZ8501. In response to a request from Indonesia, the vessel, Yongxingdao, of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, is expected to arrive on Jan. 9 at the waters where the jet went missing, according to the naval authorities. Equipped with underwater search and detect devices and 48 divers, the vessel, which took part in the search operation of the missing Malaysian airliner MH370, will also help in the search for the debris of the missing flight and bodies of the victims. The missing plane is believed to have crashed into the Java Sea on Dec. 28 while en route from Surabaya of Indonesia to Singapore with 162 people on board.

The ocean-going rescue ship "Yongxingdao" of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) arrived at the waters to the east of the maritime searching area in the Gulf of Thailand at 15:00 on the afternoon of March 14, 2014, according to the special task commanding group of the PLAN for the search and rescue of the contact-losing plane of the Malaysia Airlines.

According to the briefing, the ocean-going rescue ship "Yongxingdao" set sail from a military port in Sanya of south China's Hainan province on the morning of March 12, carrying 48 divers, 25 technicians, 18 sets of deep diving equipment, 30 sets of light diving equipment, a set of underwater robot, 3 sets of sonar and side-scan equipment, and 8 rescue boats of various types as well as such advanced medical devices as respirators, B-type ultrasonography, ECG monitor instrument and defibrillators.

This is the third batch of rescue forces dispatched by the PLAN after those of the guided-missile frigate "Mianyang", the amphibious dock landing ship “Jinggangshan”, the amphibious dock landing ship “Kunlunshan”, the guided missile destroyer "Haikou", and the comprehensive supply ship “Qiandaohu”.

As a large-size ocean-going rescue ship independently researched, developed and designed by China, the ocean-going rescue ship "Yongxingdao" has such features as long duration of cruise, advanced detection equipment and matured rescue technology. It is mainly responsible for diversified tasks, such as offshore and ocean-going rescue, diving support, salvage, foreign-aid damage control and so forth.

The Chinese naval army, the People Liberation Army Navy deployed ships to help Indonesia salvage the KRI Nanggala-402 submarine after the boat sank with the loss of its 53-man crew off the northern coast of Bali on 21 April 2021. This assistance originated from the offer of assistance from the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia to Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto regarding the handling of KRI Nanggala-402. Prabowo Subianto welcomed the offer. Then, China will deploy three salvage ships to help lift the KRI Nangala-402 ship which is on the seabed. "The ships seconded to Indonesia are Ocean Salvage and Rescue Yongxingdao-863, Ocean Tug Nantuo-185 and Scientific Salvage Tan Suo 2," said Julius in his statement May 1. The Indonesian Navy added that the vessels are well equipped to find KRI Nanggala-402. “The PRC Navy Ocean Salvage and Rescue Yong Xing Dao-863 is equipped with robots and side scan sonar boat rescue equipment, while the PRC Navy Ship Ocean Tug Nantuo-195 is capable of salvaging operations to a depth of 4500 meters.”

Julius said that the three ships were expected to arrive in Bali waters on April 30 or early May 2021. The arrival of the two ships, namely PRC Navy Ship Ocean Tug Nantuo-195 and PRC Navy Ocean Salvage & Rescue Yong Xing Dao-863 were greeted by KRI Layang-635 with welcome greetings and thanks for their assistance through communication tools. The Indonesian government welcomed this offer of humanitarian assistance. The Indonesian Navy plans to salvage the submarine and the remains of its crew.

J121 Changxing Island

The “J121” is the “Changxing Island” ocean-going rescue boat. It is a Type 925 ocean lifeboat.

“Changxing Island” was started as the third ship of this series in November 1978. It was delivered in May 1982. In October 1982, the “Changxing Island” replaced a generator set to further improve the overall performance of the ship.

The "Changxing Island", which is the third ship of the series of ships, and the two "big brothers" - "J302" and "J506" have been participating in the launch test of China's launch vehicles and communication satellites for a long time.

On November 20, 1984, China’s first Antarctic expedition team set off. The two ships of "Xiangyanghong 10" and "Changxing Island" sailed across the Pacific Ocean, avoiding typhoons, crossing the equator, and the west wind belt. After dozens of days of sailing, they arrived in Ushuaia, Argentina on December 19, 1984. They continued to sail to the destination of Antarctica after three days of replenishment. December 30, 1984 was a day of great significance in the history of the Antarctic study in China. On this day, the Chinese first inserted the five-star red flag into Antarctica. The five-star red flag flutters in the cold wind of the Antarctic, as if to say: "Antarctic! China is here!"

On the 19th of January 1985, the "Changyanghong 10" sailed to the Southern Ocean for inspection. “Changxing Island” continued to stay in the Civil Defense Bay to assist the Antarctic expedition team to establish a station. In the environment of shortage of materials, lack of building materials, and freezing in the cold, the officers and men of Changxing Island built the first scientific research station in China, the Great Wall Station.

The monument of the Chinese Navy standing at the Great Wall Station in the Antarctic is the "Xiangyang Red 10" and "Changxing Island" that were made with the anchor of "Changxing Island" in the Antarctic. It also proved to the world that it was designed and built by the Navy. The ocean-going survey ship and life-saving ship were successful. The "Changxing Island" glory for the country was also awarded the first prize of China's first national scientific and technological progress in 1985.

861 Changxing Island

In 2003, the "Changxing Island" number was changed to "861", which opened a new story. In March 2005, “Changxing Island” participated in the Sino-Russian “Peace Mission-2005” submarine rescue exercise. In 2014 and 2016, “Changxing Island” participated in the escort of the Gulf of Aden twice, with a cumulative flight time of more than 6,000 hours, berthing six national ports, with a range of more than 40,000 nautical miles, equivalent to two rounds around the earth.

The "Changxing Island" ship [hull number 861] of the Navy of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLAN) returned to China 30 December 2014 after wrapping up its water supply mission of in Maldives, and berthed at a naval port in Qingdao on the morning of December 30, 2014. A ceremony was held by the North China Sea Fleet of the PLAN at the wharf to welcome the return of the "Changxing Island" ship. Du Jingchen, deputy commander of the PLAN, attended the welcome ceremony and expressed his high respects to those officers and men and their families who had made contributions to the international humanitarian aids.

Late on the night of December 5, after receiving the order of the superior "quick water supply to the Maldives", the Navy "Changxing Island" vessel, which was carrying out escort missions in the Indian Ocean, transferred to the sea and sailed at a high speed. It took only 53 hours to reach the city of Male. Afterwards, the “Changxing Island” ship continued to be anchored outside the port of Male, using fresh water from the ship's desalination plant to supply fresh water 150 tons in batches, which directly reduced the pressure on freshwater supply in Male City and eased the urgent need. The emergency water supply mission lasted 10 days. The Changxing Island ship used its fresh water stored and seawater desalination equipment to provide nearly 800 tons of fresh water to Male City. Dong Zhen, the aid mission commander, said: "The Navy as an international service, especially the growing and growing Chinese navy, should bear more non-war military missions such as humanitarian relief, and have the obligation and ability to help the Maldives tide over the difficulties."

To help the people of Maldives, the “Changxing Island” ship has taken various measures to deliver fresh water to Male. Zhang Chang, the captain of the "Changxing Island" ship, said that after receiving the aid mission, the water supply time of the "Changxing Island" vessel dropped from 5 hours a day to 2 hours a day, controlling domestic water and drinking water, and reducing personnel.

After Maldives turned to China for urgent provision of fresh water, the "Changxing Island" ship set out and arrived at the designated port of Maldives at the top speed, produced fresh water at its peak load and provided fresh water as much as possible, easing the fresh water crisis in Maldives effectively and winning unanimous praise from the public at home and abroad. It is learnt that Yuan Yubo, deputy commander of the PLA Jinan Military Area Command (MAC) and commander of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLAN, Bai Wenqi, deputy political commissar of the PLA Jinan MAC and political commissar of the North China Sea Fleet of the PLAN, and other leaders above the army level attended the welcoming ceremony.

Water may be produced on ships by desalination, reverse osmosis or distillation. A complete desalination process demineralizes seawater. This makes it corrosive, shortening the life of containers and conduits with which it is in contact. Special consideration needs to be given to the quality of such materials, and normal procedures for certification of materials as suitable for potable water use may not be adequate for “aggressive” desalinated water.

Because of the aggressive nature of desalinated water and because this water may be considered bland, flavourless and unacceptable, it is commonly stabilized by the addition of chemicals such as calcium carbonate. Once such treatment has been applied, desalinated waters should be no more aggressive than waters normally encountered in drinking-water supply.

An evaporating plant that distils seawater and supplies water to the potable water system must be of such a design to produce potable water reliably. Distillation uses heat and pressure changes to vaporize seawater, thus liberating it of its dissolved and suspended solids and almost all dissolved gases. High- and low-pressure units connected directly to the potable water lines should have the ability to go to the waste system if the distillate is not fit for use. As water is evaporated at low temperatures (< 80 °C) in low-pressure units, it cannot be guaranteed that the distillate is free from pathogens. According to ISO standards, water that has been produced at temperatures below 80 °C needs to be disinfected before it can be defined as potable.