Five Years in Service: Nanning Ship's Hard-Core Combat Power Revealed, Capable of Circumnavigating the Earth 11 Times

Today marks the 77th anniversary of the founding of the People's Navy. Today, the Southern Theater Navy's ship open day event was held at a military port in Zhanjiang, featuring the public open access to the Nanning ship, Kunlun Mountain ship, and Ural Lake ship, all three types of warships are the main active warships of our country. The ship open activities will continue until April 26, and local friends can make reservations to board and visit the ships.

The Nanning ship, hull number 162, is a domestically developed and built 052D-class guided missile destroyer, equipped with comprehensive combat capabilities for area air defense, maritime strike, and anti-submarine search. Since officially joining the combat sequence of the People's Navy in April 2021, it has successively carried out major missions such as escorting the 43rd batch in the Gulf of Aden, evacuating our personnel in Sudan, and participating in multinational maritime joint exercises.

The Kunlun Mountain ship, hull number 998, is the lead ship of the 071-class amphibious transport dock, commissioned in January 2008, capable of carrying helicopters, air-cushion landing craft, and landing troops, and can conduct transoceanic troop deployment, possessing the ability to perform diversified missions.

The Ural Lake ship, hull number 893, is a domestically developed and built 903-class comprehensive supply ship, capable of horizontal, vertical, and oblique supply, able to simultaneously provide fuel, fresh water, ammunition, and other supplies to multiple ships, serving as an important support force for long-range operations, escorting, and joint training exercises.

Five years in service

The Nanning ship has sailed over 200,000 nautical miles

The 052D guided missile destroyer Nanning ship, hull number 162, is the main warship of the navy. This young warship has demonstrated its strength through numerous long-range operations.

In April 2021, the Nanning ship officially joined the combat sequence of the People's Navy. Over the past five years, from escorting in the Gulf of Aden to the emergency evacuation in Sudan, from multinational maritime joint exercises to regular combat readiness patrols, the Nanning ship's track has covered the three major oceans, with a total sailing distance exceeding 200,000 nautical miles, equivalent to circling the Earth 11 times.

Navy Nanning ship, Deng Dongwen: The main gun of the Nanning ship has a caliber of 130 mm, which is the largest caliber naval gun currently in service in our country. Standing in front of it at 1.85 meters, I feel like a child. The larger the size, the greater its ammunition capacity, longer range, and more powerful it is. It can undertake counterattacks against maritime threats, provide fire support for land operations, and even perform a certain degree of air defense and missile interception tasks, making it a true steel fist on our ship.

Behind the main gun, the chocolate block-like object is the universal vertical launch system, with a total of 8 cells for vertical launch, capable of carrying different types of missiles, such as anti-ship missiles for striking surface vessels; air defense missiles for intercepting incoming missiles and enemy aircraft; and land-attack missiles for precise guidance against enemy coastal artillery.

Above the universal vertical launch system is the Nanning ship's secondary gun, also known as the "ten thousand rounds gun," officially named the 11-barrel 30 mm close-in weapon system. It has a fast firing rate and high accuracy, responsible for targeting incoming missiles and low, slow, small drones and unmanned boats. Therefore, it is also the last line of defense for the Nanning ship, which we call the ship's golden shield.

On both sides of the Nanning ship, there are a total of 4 decoy launchers. Once the decoys are launched, they can create a smoke screen around the ship, misleading or interfering with enemy radar and missiles, preventing the enemy from locking on.

The helicopter take-off and landing platform of the 052D is wider, accommodating more types of helicopters for takeoff and landing, while also ensuring that the ship can perform a wider variety of military tasks.

On April 26, 2023, as the security situation in Sudan deteriorated sharply, the Nanning ship and the comprehensive supply ship Weishan Lake ship urgently rushed to Sudan to carry out the evacuation of our personnel in Sudan. The Nanning ship and Weishan Lake ship rapidly maneuvered over 630 nautical miles overnight from the Gulf of Aden to Sudan Port to execute the emergency evacuation mission. At that time, over 200 Chinese compatriots felt the warmth of home in the dining room of the Nanning ship.

Navy Nanning ship, Min Jinwei: Later, while tidying up the bedding, I found a note that said, "Squad Leader Min, in fleeing, I have nothing else, just a small token of gratitude," and he left me the only 6 candies he had.

In the vast maritime territory of the motherland, it is the backbone force for maintaining national sovereignty; in the deep sea, it is a messenger of peace, escorting passing merchant ships and providing a safe haven for compatriots in distress; on the international stage, it is the calling card of the Chinese Navy, showcasing China's openness and confidence to the world.