Duda class large harbor
tug (YTB) is a class of little known naval
auxiliary ship
An auxiliary ship is a naval ship designed to support combatant ships and other naval operations. Auxiliary ships are not primary combatant vessels, though they may have some limited combat capacity, usually for purposes of self-defense.
Auxil ...
currently in service with the
People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN),
and has received
NATO reporting name Duda class,
[ with exact type still remains unknown.
A total of eleven of this class have been confirmed in active service as of 2022][ Unlike other tugs in Chinese service, This class is the only tug having a chimney with rectangular/square cross section, and thus easily distinguishable by the sharp edges of the chimney.][
Ships of this class in PLAN service are designated by 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 classified as ]tugboat
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, su ...
s. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, δΈ) for 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 Peop ...
, North (Bei, ε) for North Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, ε) for South Sea Fleet
The Southern Theater Command Navy (), or the South Sea Fleet (SSF; ) is one of the three fleets of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, operating in the South China Sea under the Southern Theater Command. It is headquartered in Zhanjiang, ...
. However, the pennant numbers are subject to change due to changes of Chinese naval ships naming convention, or when units are transferred to different fleets. Specification:[
*Length: 31 meter
]
References
{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy, state=uncollapsed
Auxiliary tugboat classes
Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy