Type 927: Aboard the largest naval training ship of the Chinese Navy
By Henri KENHMANN | East Pendulum - 03 October 2017
Admitted to active service by the Chinese Navy a little more than 7 months ago, the new dedicated training ship for cadets with pendant number 83
Qi Jiguang 戚继光 --
named after a Chinese military leader famed for combat against Japanese pirate invaders (1528-1588)--
Type 927 took off in mid-September for its first high seas tour which will last 76 days.
The ship and crew will visit Lisbon (Portugal), Taranto (Italy), Colombo (Sri Lanka) and Sattahip (Thailand) respectively, and will make a technical stop at the Port of Salalah in Oman.
The crew of 549 people comes from six Chinese naval academies - Naval Engineering College, Dalian Naval Academy, Submariner Academy, Naval Aviation University, University of Naval Medicine, and the Chinese Navy NCO (non-commissioned officer) Academy - including 32 female and 20 non-commissioned officers.
How will these hundreds of men and women live on this training ship with displacement about 10,000 tons? The military journalists of Chinese Navy who are part of the outing made a report focusing on the four main areas of a Chinese's daily life, namely "dressing, eating, sleeping and going out" or the people's basic needs (衣食住行).
Each seaman in the Chinese Navy usually has three types of holding aboard, the standard uniform, the training uniform (blue digital camouflage) and the physical training uniform (striped sweater, "
marinière, tricot rayé"). And unlike the very old Chinese buildings, washing and drying the outfits are no longer done on decks.
The Type 927 has four separate laundries for men and women. Students on board must work on shifts.
Thanks to several washers and cupboards for disinfection and drying, and especially a lot of elbow grease, each crew can recover their own clothes within two hours as fast as possible.
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Eating, which plays an important role in Chinese culture, occupies a not negligible place on the 83 Qi Jiguang, no less than 18 compartments are reserved for cooking, packaging and canteens to feed 350 people simultaneously, including a canteen for seamen with 200 seats.
Each canteen is also equipped with four televisions that allow retransmission of programs in China.
The self-service offers four different types of dishes, one soup and two accompanying vegetables for each meal. Fruits are provided at all midday lunches.
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While the rapid evolution of weapon equipment remains one of the captivating points when one observes the rise in power of the Chinese Navy, the standard of living aboard Chinese military buildings is also another important indicator as it directly impacts on the endurance and morale of the crew.
And it is probably in this area that we know the least.
This Type 927, which measures 163 meters long and 22 meters wide, has 102 cabins that can accommodate a total of 552 people. Each cabin is equipped with desks, wardrobes, telephone and central air conditioning.
The majority of these cabins are designed for six or eight people, but there are also four cabins, two one-person cabins, with their own bathrooms and digital televisions.
And just like the new generation of Chinese warships, hot water is provided 24 hours a day on board.
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To take into account the fact that students may not yet be accustomed to movement in the confined corridors, those of Type 927 are for the most part enlarged.
The ship also has its own pharmacy, radio room, surgery and anesthesia room, as well as gyms, libraries, multi-function theater with 134 seats, even a karaoke room...
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Henri K.
Loosely translated from:
http://www.eastpendulum.com/a-bord-du-plus-grand-navire-ecole-type-927-de-la-marine-chinoise
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Here's a good footage by CCTV about this ship:
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