Type 051B destroyer
DDG 167 Shenzhen in Apra Harbor, Guam
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| Class overview | |
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| Operators: | |
| Preceded by: | Type 052 |
| Succeeded by: | Sovremennyy-class destroyer |
| Cost: | 2 billion renminbi yuan per ship by 1980s price |
| In service: | 1999 |
| Completed: | 1 |
| Active: | 1 |
| General characteristics | |
| Displacement: | 6,100 tons |
| Length: | 153 m |
| Beam: | 16.5 m |
| Draught: | 6 m |
| Propulsion: |
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| Speed: | 31 knots (57 km/h; 36 mph) |
| Range: | 14,000 miles |
| Complement: | 250 (40 officers) |
| Sensors and processing systems: |
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| Armament: |
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| Aircraft carried: | 2 helicopters: (Kamov Ka-28 or Harbin Z-9C) |
| Aviation facilities: |
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The Type 051B Luhai-class is a class of destroyer built by the People's Republic of China. It consists of only one ship, No.167 Shenzhen. When Shenzhen was commissioned into the People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force in 1998, it was then, the largest surface combatant that China had ever built. It resembles in many ways an enlarged version of the Luhu-class destroyer, and is one of the first PLAN ships with a slope-sided hull to reduce radar signature.
History[edit]
Shenzhen was laid down by the Dalian Shipyard in May 1996. The Shenzhen was intended to be an experimental vessel with improvements over the Luhu-class' in terms of modular construction and stealth. The ship is powered by two indigenous steam turbine engines, due to Dalian Shipyard's experience in steam turbine construction and that Chinese domestic research and development on marine gas turbines had not yet mature. The displacement of the Luhai-class is 2,000 tons heavier than the Type 052 destroyer, Luhu-class. Shenzhen was launched in 1997 although official revelation of the ship's existence did not come until the year following its commissioning. The chief designer of this class is academic, Mr. Pan Jingfu (潘镜芙), who is also the designer of both the Type 051B's predecessor and successor.
The main purpose of the Type 051B was to gain experience for modern naval ship design in the future and develop the knowledge and skills learned from the earlier Type 052, such as integrating many different foreign subsystems on the Type 052 more effectively. The ship is powered by steam turbines due to the 1989 western arms embargo and that domestic gas turbines could not be ready in time. The Type 051B also employed stealth construction techniques which resulted in a smaller radar cross section in comparison to its predecessor. Analysts speculated that the ship would have been equipped with an VLS system in the forward section for air-defense SAMs. However, when the ship was finally revealed, it was still armed with the 8-cell HQ-7 SAM launcher. These SAMs lack effectiveness against sea skimming missiles with multiple approach angles. The PLAN was unsatisfied with the design and no further ships of the class were built. At the time, area air defence for the fleet was a highly important goal which older systems couldn't sufficiently provide, and since the capabilities of the final vessel was deemed inadequate a huge gap continued to remain open. As a result, the decision to import two pairs of Sovremennyy-class destroyer from Russia was determined to fulfil the role.
The sole Type 051B destroyer 167 Shenzhen participated in the PLA Navy’s first goodwill visit to Africa in 2000, the first visit to Europe in 2001 and the first visit to Japan in 2007. In 2004, the ship received its mid-life modernization refit, with its original 100mm main gun and the HQ-7 air defense missile system being replaced by improved models.
Type 051B destroyer 167 Shenzhen visited Kochi, India for four days in August 2009, after deployment in the Gulf of Aden on anti-piracy operations.
Ships of Class[edit]
| Number | Pennant Number | Name | Builder | Launched | Commissioned | Fleet | Status |
| 1 | 167 | 深圳 / Shenzhen | Dalian | October 1997 | February 1999 | South Sea Fleet | Active. |
External links[edit]
Media related to Shenzhen class destroyer at Wikimedia Commons
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This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. (June 2007) |