Type 803 torpedo retriever is a type of 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 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). Construction begun in October 1960 at the 425th Factory of PLAN, the predecessor of current

Wuhu Wuhu () is a prefecture-level city in southeastern Anhui province, China. Sitting on the southeast bank of the Yangtze River, Wuhu borders Xuancheng to the southeast, Chizhou and Tongling to the southwest, Hefei city to the northwest, Ma'anshan ...

Shipyard, and the first ship was launched on March 15, 1963. Sea trials begun on May 11, 1963, and the first unit was finally handed over to PLAN on December 24, 1963 at Lüshun. However, delivery of subsequent units have been delayed due to political turmoil in China at the time, namely, the

Cultural Revolution The Cultural Revolution, formally known as the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, was a sociopolitical movement in the People's Republic of China (PRC) launched by Mao Zedong in 1966, and lasting until his death in 1976. Its stated goal ...

, so it was not until 1977, when the originally planned total of six units had finally been completed, including two foreign sales, one for

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

, and another for

Cambodia Cambodia (; also Kampuchea ; km, កម្ពុជា, UNGEGN: ), officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochinese Peninsula in Southeast Asia, spanning an area of , bordered by Thailand t ...

. Specification: *Displacement 93.17 long tons (94.67 t) *Length: *Beam: *Draft: *Depth: *Propulsion: 2 × M50-3 marine diesel engines, with 2 shafts *Speed: *Range: *Armament: 25 mm (0.98 in) or 37 mm (1.5 in) guns

References

{{Reflist, 2 Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy