Type 744 buoy tender and its derivatives with the
NATO reporting name Yannan (延南) class is a class of Chinese
buoy tender
A buoy tender is a type of vessel used to maintain and replace navigational buoys. This term can also apply to an actual person who does this work.
The United States Coast Guard uses buoy tenders to accomplish one of its primary missions of main ...
that is in service with the
People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) and Chinese civilian governmental establishments. It is a boat or vessel which services and replaces
buoys.
Precursors
Type 985
Type 744 derived from the Type 985 buoy tender, the first purpose built buoy tender in the Chinese inventory. Type 985 is designed to be the replacement of earlier buoy tenders converted from former
US Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...
net laying ship
A net laying ship, also known as a net layer, net tender, gate ship or boom defence vessel was a type of naval auxiliary ship.
A net layer's primary function was to lay and maintain steel anti-torpedo or anti-submarine nets. Nets could be laid ...
s. In the early 1980s, maritime navigational responsibility was transferred from PLAN to
Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China
The Ministry of Transport of the People's Republic of China () is an agency responsible for railway, road, air and water transportation regulations in China. It is a constituent department of the State Council.
History
The MOT's origins date ...
(MOT). Type 985 was among the equipment transferred from PLAN to MOT and has remained in civilian service since.
Type 994
Type 994 buoy tender is the larger cousin of the smaller Type 985 buoy tender, from which it is developed. Like Type 985, all units of this class were transferred to civilian service under MOT:
Type 744 and 744A
Type 744 employs design modifications based on the experience gained on earlier ships. Type 744 is designed by the 708th Institute of
China State Shipbuilding Corporation
The China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) is a Chinese shipbuilding conglomerate.
Description
CSSC is one of the top 10 defence groups in China. It consists of various shipyards, equipment manufacturers, research institutes and shipbu ...
. The 708th Institute is more commonly known as China Shipbuilding and Oceanic Engineering Design Academy. Construction began in December 1979 and four were completed, with the last ship entering service in May 1981. There are two subtypes, the civilian version Type 744 and the naval version Type 744A. The most obvious external visual difference between Types 744 and Type 744A is that the
gun mount
A gun is a ranged weapon designed to use a shooting tube (gun barrel) to launch projectiles. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns/cannons, spray guns for painting or pressure washing, ...
at in the bow of the naval version Type 744A is replaced by a mast in the civilian version. The ship received
NATO reporting name as Yannan (延南) class.
One of the Type 744A ships, Dongbiao 263, retired from Chinese Navy on August 1, 2015, and transferred to civilian service.
Specification:
Type 744
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*Length between perpendiculars
Length between perpendiculars (often abbreviated as p/p, p.p., pp, LPP, LBP or Length BPP) is the length of a ship along the summer load line from the forward surface of the stem, or main bow perpendicular member, to the after surface of the ster ...
(m): 66.6
*Beam (m): 11.8
*Depth (m): 6
*Draft (m): 4
*Displacement (t): 1750
*Class notation: ZC
*Crew: 44
*Bunks: 52
*Fuel oil tank (cu m): 161
*Fresh water tank (cu m): 276
*Propulsion: Two 8NVD48A-20 diesel engine
The diesel engine, named after Rudolf Diesel, is an internal combustion engine in which ignition of the fuel is caused by the elevated temperature of the air in the cylinder due to mechanical compression; thus, the diesel engine is a so-ca ...
@ 973 kW each
*Diesel generator
A diesel generator (DG) (also known as a diesel Genset) is the combination of a diesel engine with an electric generator (often an alternator) to generate electrical energy. This is a specific case of engine generator. A diesel compression-ig ...
: 72 kW x 4
*Crane: PBW 12/15 60 kW x 1
Ships
References
{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy, state=uncollapsed
Auxiliary tender classes
Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy