Farewell to the 112 Harbin Ship! Understanding the Deep Blue Journey Behind the "First Ship of China"

Known as the "First Ship of China," our second-generation domestically produced missile destroyer, the 112 ship, officially retired from active service at a military port in Qingdao recently. From its commissioning in 1994 to its retirement in 2026, this distinguished warship's farewell marks a leap for the Chinese Navy from nearshore operations to deep blue waters over the past 32 years.

Harbin Ship: A Key Vessel in Modernization Transformation

The Harbin Ship, hull number 112, joined the People's Navy combat fleet in May 1994. It is the lead ship of the Type 052 missile destroyer, and the first domestically produced main destroyer that integrates modern design and is equipped with new weapon radar systems. Its emergence completely broke the outdated situation of naval vessels and filled the technological gap in domestically produced modern missile destroyers.

Navy expert Li Yaqiang introduced that in the early 1990s, the Navy successfully developed the second generation of domestically produced naval equipment, which was briefly referred to as "one ship, one vessel, one aircraft." The Type 052 destroyer represented a significant leap in the quality of our country's main battle vessels, completing a crucial step in the transformation towards modernization, enabling our Navy's vessels to possess comprehensive combat capabilities against sea, air, and underwater threats for the first time. During overseas visits, navies from developed countries praised this vessel.

"First Ship of China": Pioneering Multiple "Firsts"

△ Officers and soldiers remove the hull number from the warship

Every era has its own waves, and every warship has its own track. This military vessel marked its course with multiple "firsts": the first to use combined diesel and gas propulsion, the first to achieve centralized command of the entire weapon system... The "First Ship of China" thus gained fame across the seas.

Fu Suoyan, a member of the first crew of the Harbin Ship, still remembers the first time he saw the 112 ship. He stated that when he received the new ship, he was still a rookie on board. Upon first seeing the 112 ship docked in the Huangpu River, he felt that such a warship was magnificent, and he felt very proud to serve on such a modern warship.

In 1997, the Harbin Ship, as the command ship, led a fleet to cross the Pacific for the first time to visit the United States. This was the People's Navy's first arrival on the American continent. Fu Suoyan recalled that in San Diego, a senior overseas Chinese moved everyone with his words; this elderly overseas Chinese, around seventy or eighty years old, tearfully said, "I have finally arrived on the moving territory of my motherland, I see that the motherland's navy has become strong." This patriotic sentiment deeply moved everyone present.

Pioneering "Maritime Vanguard Ship"

In January 2003, the Central Military Commission awarded the Harbin Ship the honorary title of "Maritime Vanguard Ship"—the only medium and large surface vessel in the Navy to receive this honor to date. What is a vanguard? It is to be the first to venture where others have not; to tackle the hard problems that others cannot solve.

Li Yaqiang believes that as the lead ship, the 112 ship is not just a warship, but also a "pathfinder." The 112 ship has made qualitative leaps in many areas compared to the 051 ship, requiring the development of a new set of combat methods suitable for this type of vessel. How to coordinate, how to control, how to command? The lead ship must provide training materials for subsequent types of vessels and establish training outlines. Even the current Type 055 destroyers can continue to develop their comprehensive functions of air defense, anti-submarine, anti-ship, and coastal operations based on the path paved by the Type 052. It can be said that the lead ship of this second-generation vessel has provided a foundational research platform for all subsequent modernization efforts.

In 1997, Shi Lei, then the deputy navigator, worked tirelessly to develop navigation plans. In an era when electronic charts were not yet widespread, he compiled a complete set of navigation manuals and emergency plans, becoming the first operational reference for the People's Navy's transoceanic voyages.

In 2009, the 112 ship was equipped with a fleet command system, gaining the capability to serve as a fleet command ship, achieving a transformation into a system vanguard. Harbin Ship officer Bian Changjiang recalled that with this fleet command system, we could simultaneously command all combat platforms in the air, on the surface, and underwater through the then-advanced data link system, forming a complete combat command system. This laid an indelible foundation for the command systems of later Type 052 series, Type 055, and even the current Fujian ship.

△ The 112 ship departs from the dock

"Veteran" Casts Off Lines, Journey Continues

From Type 052 to Type 055, from 4,000 tons to 10,000 tons, from "standing alone" to "fleet at sea," from nearshore defense to deep blue cruising. Once, the 112 ship sailed alone, pioneering the path of modernization; today, the Chinese Navy's vessel updates and iterations have become the norm, with a comprehensive upgrade of the combat system. Military commentator Song Xiaojun believes that the greatest contribution of the 112 ship is not just this one vessel, but that it established the military standards for the construction of large surface vessels in the Chinese Navy. Over the past thirty years, the development of the Chinese Navy has been very rapid. After the 112 ship, a set of standards for Chinese shipbuilding was established. Military standardization began to be explored and continuously enriched with the 112 ship, ultimately coalescing in the design and construction of new vessels. Over these thirty years, we have mastered a secret to building large surface vessels, which is the establishment of China's own surface vessel standardization.

Today, although the "veteran" has cast off its lines and left the ship, the ambition to strengthen the navy it carried is deeply embedded in the grand journey of a nation pursuing its dreams of the deep blue. Current crew member Li Guorui stated that the old ship has completed its mission, but the spirit of the vanguard has long been forged into the blood of every crew member. We will carry the spirit of the vanguard onto new ships, and we will form combat capability as quickly as possible, continue to write glory, create brilliance, and always be ready to serve the motherland again.

The farewell of a distinguished warship is not a period in the history of the navy, but a towering milestone—it clearly marks the Chinese Navy's turn from nearshore defense to deep blue victory, from imitation and exploration to independent leadership. After the retirement of the 112 ship, it will dock in Changsha as a national defense education base.

According to Navy tradition, the name and hull number of distinguished vessels will be inherited by the next generation of warships. Although the next generation of the 112 ship has not yet been announced, the Type 055 10,000-ton destroyers numbered 101 to 110 have all been commissioned. Following the continuity of hull numbers, the public has high expectations for the next generation of the 112 ship and its sister ship, the 113 ship.

Once, the 112 ship sailed alone, pioneering the way; today, the 10,000-ton destroyers are arrayed in the deep blue. The track of the 112 ship ends in Qingdao, but from it, the People's Navy's track is heading towards the deeper oceans.

Supervised by丨Wu Zhehua

Reporter丨Yang Jun Tian Wang Jiyun