The Ducha-class large harbor tug (YTB) is a very little known naval auxiliary ship/tugboat currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).[1][2][3][4][5] The exact type still remains unknown, but it has received NATO reporting name Ducha class.[2][3][4][5] More than a dozen of this type have been confirmed in active service as of early-2020s, making it one of the most numerous class of tugs in Chinese service.[1] The Ducha class is a design of single deck with three levels of superstructures, with the top level retracted backward from the edge of the bottom two levels.[1]
| History | |
|---|---|
 People's Republic of China | |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class and type | Ducha class |
| Type | Tugboat |
| Length | 30 m (98 ft 5 in) |
| Sensors and processing systems | Navigation radar |
| Electronic warfare & decoys | None |
| Armament | Unarmed |
| Armour | None |
| Aircraft carried | None |
| Aviation facilities | None |
The Ducha-class tugs in PLAN service are designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by three-digit number. The second Chinese character is Tuo (拖), meaning tug in Chinese, because these ships are classified as tugboats. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) for East Sea Fleet, North (Bei, 北) for North Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, 南) for South Sea Fleet. However, the pennant numbers are subject to change due to changes of Chinese naval ships naming convention, or when units are transferred to different fleets. Specification:[2][3][4][5]
- Length: 30 meter
| Type | NATO designation | Pennant No. | Name (English) |
Name (Han 中文) |
Commissioned | Displacement | Fleet | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ducha class large harbor tug (YTB) | Ducha class | Bei-Tuo 624 | North Tug 624 | 北拖 624 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active |
| Bei-Tuo 625 | North Tug 625 | 北拖 625 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Bei-Tuo 626 | North Tug 626 | 北拖 626 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Bei-Tuo 627 | North Tug 627 | 北拖 627 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Bei-Tuo 629 | North Tug 629 | 北拖 629 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Bei-Tuo 718 | North Tug 718 | 北拖 718 | ? | ? t | North Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Dong-Tuo 871 | East Tug 871 | 东拖 871 | ? | ? t | East Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Dong-Tuo 872 | East Tug 872 | 东拖 872 | ? | ? t | East Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Dong-Tuo 873 | East Tug 873 | 东拖 873 | ? | ? t | East Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Nan-Tuo 169 | South Tug 169 | 南拖 169 | ? | ? t | South Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Nan-Tuo 170 | South Tug 170 | 南拖 170 | ? | ? t | South Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Nan-Tuo 173 | South Tug 173 | 南拖 173 | ? | ? t | South Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Nan-Tuo 178 | South Tug 178 | 南拖 178 | ? | ? t | South Sea Fleet | Active | ||
| Nan-Tuo 179 | South Tug 179 | 南拖 179 | ? | ? t | South Sea Fleet | Active |
References
edit- ^ a b c "Beituo 625 class tug". Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
- ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
- ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.
