The type 852 tug is the Chinese version of the formerly Soviet Roslavl
tug
A tugboat or tug is a marine vessel that manoeuvres other vessels by pushing or pulling them, with direct contact or a tow line. These boats typically tug ships in circumstances where they cannot or should not move under their own power, suc ...
that has been developed 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). The differences between the Chinese version and the original Soviet version are minor, mainly in the modification of living quarters. For example, space used for milk storage has been converted for vegetable storage, and Russian-style ovens and stoves are replaced with Chinese types. An air conditioning system has been added for operation in warmer climates. These ships still remain active as of the early 2010s, despite their age.
Ships in the type 852 series in PLAN service are labeled with a combination of two Chinese characters followed by a three-digit number. The second Chinese character is Tuo (ζ), meaning tug in Chinese, because these ships are tugs. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is in service with; for example, with East (Dong, δΈ) for
East Sea Fleet, North (Bei, ε) for
North Sea Fleet
The Northern Theater Command Navy (), or the North Sea Fleet (NSF; ) is one of the three fleets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, under the Northern Theater Command. In September 1950 the Qingdao Army Base was redesignated as a naval ...
, and South (Nan, ε) for
South Sea Fleet. However,
the pennant numbers may have changed due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention. Specification:
Type 852
/ref>
*Length (m): 45.7
*Beam (m): 9.5
*Draft (m): 4.6
*Displacement (t): 670
*Speed (kn): 12
*Rang (nmi): 6000 @ 11 kn
*Crew: 28
*Propulsion: two diesel engines @ 1200 hp
*Armament: four 14.5 mm machine guns
References
{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy, state=uncollapsed
Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy
Tugboats of the People's Liberation Army Navy
Auxiliary tugboat classes