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
StatusActive
General characteristics
Class and typeDucha class
TypeTugboat
Length30 m (98 ft 5 in)
Sensors and
processing systems
Navigation radar
Electronic warfare
& decoys
None
ArmamentUnarmed
ArmourNone
Aircraft carriedNone
Aviation facilitiesNone

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
  1. ^ a b c "Beituo 625 class tug". Retrieved 5 August 2015.
  2. ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2018". July 16, 2018.
  3. ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2019". February 19, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2020". February 19, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c "PLANS recognition guide 2015". August 7, 2015.