Forging the "Maritime Iron Fist"

In 2024, the Hainan ship is organizing training for the takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft. Qiao Chenxi/photo

As the Spring Festival approaches, a long whistle breaks the tranquility of a military port in southern China. Outside the cockpit window, buildings on both sides begin to slowly recede, and the Southern Theater Command Navy's Hainan ship sets sail once again.

Stationed at the southern gate of the motherland, the Hainan ship is a regular visitor to the high seas. Since its commissioning in April 2021, in less than five years, this first ship of the 075-type amphibious assault ship, independently developed by our country, has rapidly generated combat capability, breaking the barriers between military branches and exploring the formation of joint operational capabilities that adapt to amphibious combat command systems.

The deep blue sea is turbulent, and this warship, with a full displacement of 40,000 tons, cuts through the waves steadily as it sails forward. “As a landing ship, we must open up the last connection between the sea and the land, and we must train to become a ‘sea iron fist’,” said the captain of the Hainan ship. On the wall of the dock corridor, the most prominent position is adorned with the Hainan ship's emblem, beneath which is a striking slogan: “Where national interests lie, the mission of two assaults must be accomplished.”

Clearing the Way

As one of the first crew members to join the ship, veteran Zhang Xinchun has witnessed the entire process of the Hainan ship's development from nothing to greatness. He is one of the most familiar people with the Hainan ship, and every time he recalls the scene six years ago when he first received the transfer order, he cannot help but feel a surge of excitement.

In the past, our country did not have independently developed amphibious assault ships, and Zhang Xinchun had only seen photos of this type of ship on television. At that time, he thought, “This ship is really big,” and the wide straight-deck looked like a “small aircraft carrier.” This made Zhang Xinchun think more than once, “I hope we can have our own amphibious assault ship someday.”

His wish was fulfilled faster than he imagined. He still remembers the first time he saw the Hainan ship; although the interior layout was not yet complete, this veteran, who had experienced various types of vessels, was deeply impressed by the tall hull of the 075-type amphibious assault ship. The group of dozens of first crew members took a collective photo on the wide deck, and everyone exclaimed, “It’s so stunning.”

As crew members of the first amphibious assault ship, Zhang Xinchun and his comrades not only took on the task of receiving the ship but, more importantly, “had to pave the way for the development of amphibious assaults.” To quickly familiarize themselves with the various types of weapons and equipment of this new ship type, the crew members followed the manufacturers day and night from the installation stage, “following the master wherever he went.”

The equipment manuals were flipped through countless times, and every time the manufacturer adjusted the equipment, the officers and soldiers would request the reports to analyze and study them word by word. Zhang Xinchun remembers that at that time, everyone experimented with the equipment alongside the master and made many suggestions based on the test results and actual combat needs. During one interception target test, he found that the radar tracking was inaccurate and directly proposed twenty or thirty modification suggestions. Later, the manufacturer discovered that there was an error in the installation of a part, and all similar parts on other ships were recalled for reinstallation.

Veteran Zhang Zhao also has a deep impression of that period; he remembers that at that time, “everyone didn’t say they were receiving the ship, but rather ‘coming to start a business.’” Before the Hainan ship was commissioned in 2021, it underwent final testing and trials. During this time, Zhang Zhao noticed that in the landing support phase, the towing rope for the battle vehicle used sliding friction, which had a lot of friction and was prone to breaking.

Zhang Zhao immediately pointed out this issue to the manufacturer and sought ways to improve it. A few days later, he noticed that in flight support, the towing rope for the aircraft used rollers and shackles, which had less friction, and immediately suggested that the manufacturer make improvements accordingly. After testing, this method significantly reduced towing friction, and later, in the production and construction of amphibious assault ships, all towing ropes for battle vehicles were changed to rolling friction.

On April 23, 2021, the Hainan ship was officially commissioned, and the People's Navy finally had its own amphibious assault ship. Since that day, the officers and soldiers of the Hainan ship have accelerated their exploration of the development of amphibious assaults.

As a brand new professional field, Zhang Zhao and his comrades designed and formulated the operational procedures for amphibious landing support, exploring rapid refueling modes for battle vehicles. He remembers that during that time, they repeatedly tested the towing paths of the fuel pipes, timing with a stopwatch, as even an extra centimeter or a wasted second was unacceptable. “We must come up with a mature template that can be used in combat,” Zhang Zhao said.

The amphibious assault ship undertakes the mission of three-dimensional delivery from sea to land, often carrying amphibious vehicles, helicopters, and other military equipment, requiring the officers and soldiers of the Hainan ship to cooperate with comrades from other units to complete training tasks together. To help comrades from other units quickly familiarize themselves with life on board and accelerate mutual adaptation and integration, the crew explored and established a regulatory system for the 075-type ship, constructed an operational model for the 075-type ship, and filled several gaps in the Navy's training outline and deployment for the 075-type ship. They also continuously optimized collaborative operational processes, summarizing and forming several achievements such as standard operating procedures for three-dimensional delivery of the 075-type ship and basic training specifications for platform joint operations.

Officer Wu Fan participated in the compilation of the basic training specifications for platform joint operations. He remembers that the editing team collected all the process specifications formed by various departments on the ship over the past two years, compared and verified them one by one, and carefully solicited opinions from many squad leaders and key personnel, ultimately forming a very detailed manual that included the needs of life on board.

This set of specifications played a significant role in the second year after its compilation. During that mission, the Hainan ship and a certain airborne brigade of the army organized their first joint training. On the first day, comrades from the brother unit took several hours to get the battle vehicles on board, but on the second day, when they boarded again according to the basic training specifications, the time was significantly shortened, and efficiency was effectively improved.

These standardized processes were later promoted to other amphibious assault ships, greatly improving the time and efficiency of combat capability generation for brother units. Moreover, since its commissioning, the Hainan ship has also trained and delivered hundreds of key personnel for subsequent amphibious assault vessels, truly becoming a fertile ground for cultivating talent in amphibious assaults.

Planning for Battle

As an important force in the Navy's amphibious operations, the officers and soldiers of the Hainan ship have taken on the primary responsibility of the first amphibious assault ship while also aiming for victory on the battlefield. Whenever the Hainan ship goes out to sea for combat readiness patrols, not only can one see the tens of thousands of tons of warships riding the waves in the deep ocean, but also the aerial iron wings flying overhead, and the amphibious vehicles and hovercraft rolling forward on the sea surface.

In the hearts of every officer and soldier on the Hainan ship, being close to actual combat needs and deepening joint training is closely related to themselves. Wu Fan said that everyone who comes to the Hainan ship naturally develops a sense of pride and responsibility, “We must seize victory on the future battlefield.”

To achieve this goal, the officers and soldiers have intensified various professional training and continuously explored and innovated tactics and methods. Wu Fan once conducted specialized research on the delivery issues of amphibious assault formations during training at an academy and even wrote a simulation program himself, hoping to solve the complex problem of delivery plan calculations in combat.

In 2025, the Hainan ship will conduct research on the operational issues of delivery efficiency for amphibious assault formations, and Wu Fan, as a representative of the landing support department, will join the project team. This time, he considered that the previously written simulation program had the problem of not being able to intuitively observe changes in troop strength under combat conditions, so he planned to try to build a 3D visualization simulation model, transforming the plan calculations from “flat” to “three-dimensional.”

However, Wu Fan does not have a background in computer science, and building a visualization model from scratch is not easy. He collected various modeling software, tried them one by one, and finally selected the most suitable one. He then began to self-study coding, searching for tutorials online, and even borrowed university course materials to learn from scratch.

In actual combat, designing delivery plans requires considering many factors and involves multiple departments. To make the model more accurate, Wu Fan specifically collected data from various departments and compared them one by one. He spent more than a month successfully designing a brand new 3D visualization simulation model, reducing the time for plan design from the previous manual calculation of dozens of minutes to just a few seconds now.

On the deck, Sergeant Yu Shuxin is also engaged in the same “battle for breakthroughs.” He is responsible for ensuring the takeoff and landing of carrier-based aircraft, which must achieve rapid ascent and recovery of aircraft on the battlefield. To this end, he leads his department's comrades to continuously explore multi-aircraft and multi-wave delivery scheduling plans, “Every platform and every route must be designed in advance to ensure everything goes smoothly.”

To achieve maximum efficiency, every time a task requires support, Yu Shuxin studies the equipment performance of the aircraft type in advance. After the crew boards the ship, Yu Shuxin will repeatedly discuss and study with the crew, simulating the scheduling routes on a sand table.

The positions of the guides during aircraft launches are the results of further discussions and optimizations between Yu Shuxin and the crew members based on the specifications. Initially, the pilots often had the habit of taking off and landing on land, but considering the limited space on the deck, it was necessary to ensure safety and launch efficiency. Yu Shuxin and the pilots discussed and tried repeatedly, ultimately determining several points more suitable for guidance on board, ensuring clear visibility for both parties and enabling quick and smooth communication using hand signals.

In Yu Shuxin's view, the uniqueness of the amphibious assault ship lies in “we are a complete system that integrates with each other.” A task requires different units to cooperate without barriers to complete it, “therefore we must understand each other and support one another.”

In 2023, the Hainan ship conducted its first multi-wave delivery capability test for the X aircraft, and Yu Shuxin, as a key professional leader, felt considerable pressure. Before the task, he specifically found the crew members to communicate in advance, inquiring about support needs, and designed the deployment route based on the performance of the aircraft type to shorten the deployment time, even practicing which lights to avoid during guidance repeatedly.

On the day of the task, Yu Shuxin, as a mobile command personnel, witnessed this historic moment on the deck. He remembers that day the wind and waves were strong, and rows of warplanes were lined up on the deck, with each crew moving busily among them, “busy but not chaotic.”

When it was time for the planned launch, the crews were successively ready. As each guide signaled for takeoff, one aircraft after another soared into the sky, quickly forming a formation in the air. The sound of propellers vibrating harmoniously with the rolling waves created an exhilarating scene that left Yu Shuxin and his comrades deeply moved.

At that moment, this veteran who has served for 13 years couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes. “This marks a leap in our combat capability; we are fully capable of fighting in the deep ocean,” Yu Shuxin said excitedly.

Facts have proven that the officers and soldiers of the Hainan ship are indeed ready. Not long ago, during a mission at sea, the Hainan ship received an urgent task to rush to a designated sea area. Yu Shuxin and his comrades practiced in advance while on the way, preparing for any eventuality.

Sure enough, after arriving in the task area, one morning, the battle alarm suddenly sounded. All officers and soldiers on the ship responded immediately, quickly preparing for battle. One aircraft after another rapidly took off, flying towards the distance against the rising sun.

“Going all out to meet the battle has become our daily routine; it’s nothing special.” Looking back now, Yu Shuxin appears much calmer. He said calmly and firmly, “For victory, we are always prepared!”

Mission

Post-2000 soldier Zhu Hao enlisted in 2023 and did not catch the “entrepreneurial era” of the Hainan ship; he saw the news of the Hainan ship's commissioning on television. After basic training, he first saw the Hainan ship in person at the military port, and the majestic warship “looked like an iron mountain.” At that moment, Zhu Hao thought, “It must be very proud to serve on such a national treasure.”

A few days later, Zhu Hao was assigned to the Hainan ship as he wished. This young man boarded this new type of warship, growing together with the Hainan ship and witnessing the glorious moments of this national treasure time and again.

Over the years, the Hainan ship has frequently appeared on the international stage, undertaking the task of receiving foreign guests for visits, showcasing the image of a great power navy to the world. Zhu Hao has taken on the task of forming a formation several times, standing on the sides of the deck with his comrades, being the first scene that visitors see before boarding the ship.

Every time he stands on the deck, Zhu Hao instinctively straightens his chest and raises his head, adjusting to his best state. He says that at such times, there is always a sense of mission, “We must present the best image to the world, proving through action that our People's Navy is a force for peace and a formidable force, and we absolutely have the capability to safeguard the safety of the motherland and the people.”

In 2024, a foreign military officer, after visiting the Hainan ship, exclaimed: “Only a great power has such confidence and strength to command such a warship.”

On November 21 of the same year, a formation consisting of the Hainan ship and the Changsha ship arrived in Hong Kong, commencing a five-day visit. This was the first public appearance of the Hainan ship, marking the beginning of the Navy's regular visits to Hong Kong.

That morning, as the Hainan ship slowly approached the Hong Kong China Merchants Wharf, citizens of Hong Kong had already lined up to welcome the warship, waving national flags and cheering. Zhu Hao was once again in formation on the deck, and as he saw the towering buildings getting closer and the cheers of the people rising and falling, this young man was extremely excited, “So thrilled, so proud.”

During the visit, veteran Yin Zheng served as a guide, leading citizens through the dock and introducing the weapons and equipment. He remembers that during those five days, he had to walk more than 40,000 steps every day, and the visiting lines seemed endless, with some people arriving early to queue and others coming from far-off suburbs or even other cities. Originally, they planned to open in time slots each day, but later, due to the overwhelming enthusiasm of the citizens, the officers and soldiers simply skipped their lunch break and opened for visits all day, working until 9 PM every day.

The most touching moment for Yin Zheng was when he led visitors to the garage, where a huge five-star red flag was hanging on the wall. A little girl, only a few years old, suddenly broke free from her father's hand and ran to the flag, solemnly saluting it.

At that moment, this veteran couldn't help but feel tears welling up in his eyes; he suddenly felt deeply that “we have a powerful motherland and countless compatriots standing behind us. Protecting them is our unshirkable duty, and we can pay any price for it.”

That night, moved, Yin Zheng wrote an article titled “Visiting Hong Kong,” in which one line read: “Therefore, we warriors holding the spear must think of our responsibilities and aspirations, continue to strengthen our capabilities, protect the people and safeguard the country, and pacify the seas to bless the prosperous era.”

China Youth Daily·China Youth Online reporter Zheng Tianran