"The 'First Ship of China' and the First Ship of the Second Generation Domestic Missile Destroyer Recently Retired, Will Dock in Changsha, Hunan - Telling the Story of Striving for Maritime Strength to More People"

“China's First Ship,” the first ship of the second generation of domestically produced missile destroyers, has recently retired from active service and will dock in Changsha, Hunan——

To tell the story of striving for maritime strength to more people

■ PLA Daily reporter Qian Xiaohu

Journey marks of Ship 112 (composite image). Map by Fang Han

As the warship sheds its battle armor, the military spirit shines across the mountains and rivers.

Recently, the first ship of the second generation of domestically produced missile destroyers, known as “China's First Ship,” the Navy Ship 112, retired from active service at a military port in Qingdao. The ship will subsequently serve as a national defense education base, docking in Changsha, Hunan, for citizens and tourists to visit and learn.

The glorious transformation of this meritorious warship is a microcosm of the equipment transformation of the people's army. In recent years, as the military has taken on diverse tasks and upgraded its weaponry, a number of outstanding heavy-duty equipment that has roamed the seas and defended the territory has bid farewell to the combat sequence, moving from military camps to major cities, taking root and revitalizing, and in the fertile ground of national defense education in the new era, telling the story of striving for maritime strength in a new way to more people.

Ship returns to Hunan, position changes but mission remains the same

Vast blue seas record the ship's trail, and the sound of waves witnesses its responsibilities.

Ship 112 has witnessed the historic leap of the People's Navy from nearshore to deep blue. Since its commissioning, the ship has sailed the vast oceans for many years, accumulating over 400,000 nautical miles of safe navigation and successfully completing more than a hundred major tasks, including ocean escort missions, joint exercises with foreign countries, and international visits. The warship has honed its combat effectiveness through real combat training and forged a pioneering spirit through its journey through storms, earning the honorary title of “Maritime Pioneer Ship” from the Central Military Commission.

Every inch of steel on the hull embodies the sweat of our military workers' independent efforts; every segment of the journey is engraved with the loyalty and responsibility of naval officers and soldiers who are always ready; every day and night of service witnesses the People's Navy's resolute steps towards deep blue and striving for maritime strength.

Changsha, Hunan, has a rich revolutionary heritage and a strong atmosphere of supporting the military. Ship 112 is about to dock in the Xiangjiang River area, resonating with red landmarks such as the Orange Isle revolutionary scenic area and the former residence of General Xiao Jinguang, creating a unique and multi-dimensional national defense education matrix in Hunan. This is the glorious homecoming of a meritorious warship and the continuation of a revolutionary bloodline.

Although the position changes, the mission remains the same. After the relevant preparations are completed, Ship 112 will fully open to the public, becoming a tangible, interactive, and educational political classroom. In the past, it roamed the oceans, battling winds and waves, guarding the peace of thousands of miles of maritime territory; today, it will stand quietly by the river, nurturing silently, telling the story of a strong military through its remarkable past.

Heavy equipment settles in the city, national defense culture permeates the hearts of the people

The mission transformation of Ship 112 is not an isolated case. As the strong military cause continues to advance and weaponry is upgraded, batches of meritorious heavy equipment that carry the memory of a strong military, witness the rise of national defense, and safeguard the integrity of the territory are orderly retiring from combat positions, gradually leaving military camps, taking root in cities, and integrating into the community, transforming into vivid teaching materials for national defense education.

By rivers and lakes, the warship continues to write deep blue memories.

In Zhanjiang, Guangdong, the Zhanjiang Ship, hull number 165, returns to its naming city. This domestically produced missile destroyer has completed numerous exercises and combat patrol missions, and after retirement, it returned to Zhanjiang Bay, settling in the Military Culture Expo Park, becoming a shining national defense business card for the port city.

In the heroic city of Nanchang, the first generation domestically produced missile destroyer, the Nanchang Ship, hull number 163, returns home. This meritorious warship, which has roamed the oceans for 34 years, transforms its 170,000 nautical miles of deep blue journey into a vivid national defense classroom by the Gan River, becoming a red landmark for local youth to study.

In Yinchuan, Ningxia, the Yinchuan Ship, hull number 107, ends its 36-year ocean journey, crossing mountains and rivers to settle in the Yellow River Military Culture Expo Park, becoming one of the earliest domestically produced destroyers to take root in the inland region, allowing the people of Northwest China to face the blue territory and understand maritime defense without traveling far.

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Meritorious equipment bids farewell to the smoke of battle and moves away from the training grounds, continuously weaving a network of national defense education for all. Various regions rely on the unique resources of retired heavy equipment to regularly carry out national defense research and themed lectures, bringing national defense education out of the classroom and closer to the people, making the grand stories of a strong military more tangible, visible, and relatable.

Between mountains and seas, where the nation's heavy equipment stands, a new atmosphere of supporting the military and patriotism permeates the urban fabric and integrates into the lives of the people.

Veterans remain evergreen, the iron-blooded military spirit is passed on

Time tempers iron bones, and time accumulates spirit.

These national defense “veterans” are a vivid history book recording the journey of a strong military and a spiritual fertile ground nurturing the new generation of the era. Guarding the border and defending the country is their lifelong commitment; cultivating souls and educating people is their new mission to continue the glory.

Since the Zhanjiang Ship opened to the public, many former crew members have returned to the deck where they once fought, reminiscing about their years guarding the South China Sea, sharing their personal experiences of maritime rights protection and live-fire exercises with visiting youth; since the Chongqing Ship opened to the public, hundreds of thousands of citizens have boarded the ship for visits, and many retired naval veterans have returned to the deck, voluntarily sharing their personal experiences of overseas visits with the youth; the Yellow River Military Culture Expo Park invites former crew members to serve as guides, launching a “Little Sailor” themed summer camp, where children walk on the destroyer’s deck, touch the equipment, and listen to battle stories, solidifying their national defense awareness through immersive experiences……

Real experiences surpass a thousand words, and personal experiences further nurture the original intention. Compared to the abstract narratives of written texts and the rigid lectures of classroom theories, the immersive experiences and real-world education brought by retired warships are more impactful and penetrating. The weathered marks on the ship's hull and the deck's patterns, worn by storms, are authentic and substantial political education materials. Young people stop to gaze and listen attentively, deeply understanding the hard-won peace and clarifying their mission and responsibilities as youth in the journey of a strong military, consciously integrating their patriotic feelings and aspirations into their youthful ideals and transforming them into driving forces for progress.

Iron armor returns to the rivers and mountains, and the flame of heritage continues for thousands of years. Retired meritorious equipment takes root, building a spiritual bridge connecting the military and society, the military heart and the people's heart. A series of themed education activities, research experiences, and rounds of red lectures gather a consensus of thought where everyone cares for, loves, builds, and defends national defense, continuously gathering strength for the cause of strengthening the military and the great rejuvenation of the nation.