Type 0109 gunboat was a type of gunboat developed by China for the

People's Liberation Army Navy The People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN; ), also known as the People's Navy, Chinese Navy, or PLA Navy, is the maritime service branch of the People's Liberation Army. The PLAN traces its lineage to naval units fighting during the Chinese ...

(PLAN) in the late 1950s, and has since retired. In 1958, PLAN commander-in-chief of

East Sea Fleet The Eastern Theater Command Navy (), or East Sea Fleet (ESF; ), is one of the three fleets of the People's Liberation Army Navy, operating in the East China Sea under the Eastern Theater Command. It was the first naval force formed by the Peopl ...

Vice admiral Tao Yong (陶勇) ordered

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

Ma Qian (马千), the director of PLAN Shipbuilding and Repair Department (SRD) of the PLAN Headquarter (海军司令部修造部), to develop a new gunboat designated as Type 0109. The task was given to PLAN No 101 Factory (later renamed as 4805 Factory, the predecessor of curren
Shenjia Shipyard (申佳船厂)
Designers included a group of young engineers and technicians, including Mr. Wang Zhao-Ji (王肇基), Mr. Lin Ke-Guang (林克光), Mr. Chen Yin-Geng (陈荫耕), Mr. Yang Zheng-Xin (杨正信), Mr. Zhuang Xu (庄煦), Mr. Zhang Liu-Gen (张留根), Mr. Gu Yong-Xin (顾永鑫), with Mr. Wang Zhao-Ji as the general designer. Drafters included Mr. Su Xiao-Ming (苏晓明) and Zhang Fu-Gen (张福根). Production went smoothly, a rather rare occasion in the political turmoil in China at the time, namely, the

Great Leap Forward The Great Leap Forward (Second Five Year Plan) of the People's Republic of China (PRC) was an economic and social campaign led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1958 to 1962. CCP Chairman Mao Zedong launched the campaign to reconstruc ...

. By March 1959, the first boat was launched, with PLAN Vice Admiral Rao Shou-Shen (饶守坤) attending the launching ceremony. Sea trials confirmed the design had met all requirements, and by 1962, all 10 planned boats were completed. Type 0109 was one of the sources based on which

Type 062 gunboat The Type 062 gunboat is a class of gunboat of the People's Liberation Army Navy first developed and constructed in the 1950s. This unsophisticated class is relatively well-armed for its size and is the most widely built and exported Chinese nava ...

was developed from. Some of the Type 0109 were upgraded with a pair of 57 mm gun replacing the original twin 37 mm gun in the bow. Type 0109 has participated in numerous engagements with

ROCN The Republic of China Navy (ROCN; ), also called the ROC Navy and colloquially the Taiwan Navy, is the maritime branch of the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF). The service was formerly commonly just called the Chinese Navy during World Wa ...

in the 1950s and 1960s.

References

{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy, state=collapsed Gunboat classes Gunboats of the People's Liberation Army Navy