Yao Jianing, 2016-12-22
BEIJING, Dec. 22 (ChinaMil) — Pictures of China’s new supply ship, the Type 901, surfaced and spread quickly online on December 19. The reason why it drew such intensive attention from the public lies in the fact that it “filled the last gap in China’s aircraft carrier battle group”.
As the US Defense News commented, giant warships are usually the most impressive to the general public, but whether they can function well depend largely on the various “humble” auxiliary vessels in the group. Therefore, a saying goes, “Outsiders pay attention to combat ships, while insiders attach great importance to auxiliary vessels”.
“Super nanny”
The pictures spread online showed that the Type 901 supply ship has three giant replenishment gantries and broad helipad at the stern, which is apparently larger than the previous 20,000-ton supply ship “Weishanhu”.
The US website Global Security speculated that the Type 901 could reach a top speed of around 25 knots as well as a full displacement of more than 40,000 tons, roughly the equivalent of the US Navy’s current Supply class replenishment ships. The new supply ship will help resolve fundamental replenishment issues faced by Chinese carrier battle groups, it said.
Li Jie, a Chinese military expert, told reporters on December 20 that large comprehensive supply ships are generally designed for giant carrier battle groups and that one of their most remarkable characteristics is their full capability in replenishment of ammunition, oil, water and food.
For naval fleets on the high seas, it is both time and energy consuming to return to the harbor to receive replenishments, and another drawback is that it can also cost the most important combat opportunities, so in particular, countries without overseas bases are at a disadvantage in this respect, said Li.
Even the US, which has overseas bases across the world, needs supply ships such as the previous Sacramento-class and the current Supply-class, both with a full displacement of over 40,000 tones, to satisfy replenishment needs of its carrier battle groups, which usually stay on duty on the seas for three to six months. Therefore, a supply ship like this is dubbed the aircraft carrier’s “super nanny”.
In addition, the comprehensive supply ship must work with the whole aircraft battle fleet in a concerted fashion, so it requires a minimum speed of 22 knots.
According to Global Security, replenishment capacity on the high seas had been considered a weak point of the Chinese Navy. During its escorting missions in the Gulf of Aden, the first more than ten taskforces of the Chinese Navy saw their battleships repeatedly replaced, while the supply ships “Qiandaohu”and “Weishanhu” had remained in these fleets all along, indicating China’s limited capacity in supply ships.
The website reported that China had built several 20,000-ton supply ships in recent years, gradually boosting their numbers, but due to limited displacements, they were incapable of supporting aircraft carrier battle groups’ missions on the high seas. The service of the Type 901 is likely to fill that gap, it added.
Disclaimer: The authors are Wei Yunfeng and Ma Jun, reports from the Global Times. The information, ideas or opinions appearing in this article are those of the authors and do not reflect the views of eng.chinamil.com.cn. Chinamil.com.cn does not assume any responsibility or liability for the same. If the article carries photographs or images, we do not vouch for their authenticity.