Type 903 replenishment ship

Gaoyouhu
Class overview
Builders	CSSC Offshore & Marine Engineering (Group) Company Limited Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard
Operators	People's Liberation Army Navy
Preceded by	Type 908 replenishment ship
Succeeded by	Type 901 replenishment ship
In commission	2004
Completed	9
Active	9
General characteristics
Type	Replenishment oiler
Displacement	23,369 tons (full load)[1]
Length	178.5 metres (586 ft)[1]
Beam	24.8 metres (81 ft)[1]
Draught	8.7 metres (29 ft)[1]
Propulsion	2 x SEMT Pielstick 16PC2 6V400 diesel engines;[1] 2 shafts[1] Total output: 24,000 hp (18,000 kW)[1]
Speed	19 knots (35 km/h; 22 mph)[1]
Range	10,000 nautical miles (19,000 km; 12,000 mi) at 14 knots (26 km/h; 16 mph)[1]
Capacity	10,500 tons of fuel oil, 250 tons of fresh water, 680 tons of cargo and ammunition[1]
Complement	130[1]
Armament	4 x twin 37 mm[1]
Aircraft carried	1 Harbin Z-8[1] or Changhe Z-18[2]
Aviation facilities	hangar and flight deck[2]

The Type 903 combined replenishment ship (Chinese: 903型综合补给舰, NATO reporting name: Fuchi) is a class of replenishment oiler (AOR) built for the People's Liberation Army Navy, serving as a principal fleet auxiliary ship for blue-water expeditionary missions by the People's Republic of China.^[1] They resemble HTMS Similan, an AOR built by China for Thailand delivered in 1996.^[1][3]

Two original-design Type 903s entered service in 2003. Construction of the Type 903A (NATO reporting name: Fuchi II), a slightly modified design, began in 2010; the first Type 903As entered service in 2013,^[1] and a total of eight ships are currently in service.

Development

According to Zhang Gang, chief designer of Similan, China started development of a new AOR in 1988. Development was delayed due to cost, leading China to buy a Komandarm Fedko-class oiler, renamed Qinghaihu, from Ukraine in 1992. The new design was completed for Similan, which became the basis for the Type 903.^[4]

Design

The Type 903 is a flush-decked development of the Type 905 AOR resembling the French Durance.^[5]

There are two liquid and one sliding-stay solid transfer stations per side. Refuelling may also be conducted from the stern.^[5]

Ships of the class

Name	Hull No.	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Fleet	Status
Type 903
千岛湖 / Qiandaohu (ex-Fuchi)[1]	886[1]	Hudong Shipyard[1]	29 March 2003[1]	30 April 2004[1]	East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[1]
微山湖 / Weishanhu[1]	887[1]	Guangzhou Shipyard International[1]	June 2003[1]	2004[1]	South Sea Fleet[1]	Active[1]
Type 903A
太湖 / Taihu[1]	889[1]	Guangzhou Shipyard International	22 March 2012[1]	18 June 2013[1]	North Sea Fleet[1]	Active[1]
巢湖 / Chaohu[1]	890[1]	Hudong Shipyard[1]	6 May 2012[1]	11 September 2013[1]	East Sea Fleet[1]	Active[1]
东平湖 / Dongpinghu[6]	902(Ex-960)[6][7]					Active[6]
洪湖 / Honghu[6]	906(Ex-963)[6][8]					Active[6]
骆马湖 / Luomahu[6]	907(Ex-964)[6][9]					Active[6]
高邮湖 / Gaoyouhu[6]	904(Ex-966)[6][10]					Active[6]
可可西里湖 / Kekexilihu[6]	903(Ex-968)[6][11]					Active[6]

Gallery

• 
  Taihu at Victoria, Canada.
• 
  Flight deck of Taihu.

References

1. Saunders 2015, p. 160.
2. Tate, Andrew (11 June 2015). "China launches third Type 903A". IHS Jane's 360. Archived from the original on 2015-12-22. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
3. Saunders 2015, p. 840.
4. Sheldon-Duplaix 2017, p. 100.
5. Wertheim 2013, p. 133.
6. United States Navy Office of Naval Intelligence (19 February 2020). PLA Navy Identification Guide (Report). Archived from the original on 27 February 2020. Retrieved 29 July 2020.
7. Wang, Yaming (2024-07-08). "艺心向党遇舰深蓝——艺术与设计学院走进海军东平湖舰". QUT School of art and design (in Chinese). Retrieved 2025-03-25.
8. Zhang, Dayu; Yu, Zeming (2024-08-16). Xue, Tao (ed.). "中国海军第46批护航编队焦作舰、洪湖舰访问埃及". Xinhua News Agency. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
9. "强军强装｜呼和浩特舰、岳阳舰、骆马湖舰，出征亚丁湾！". 2022-01-17. Retrieved 2025-03-25.
10. "Chinese Naval Taskforce Participates in Multinational Maritime Exercise AMAN-2025 - Ministry of National Defense". eng.mod.gov.cn. Retrieved 2025-03-15.
11. Sun, Luming (2023-03-30). Li, Qingtong (ed.). "中國海軍第42批護航編隊完成任務返回青島" [Chinese navy's 42nd escort fleet returns to Qingdao]. Ministry of National Defenese. Retrieved 2025-03-24.

Sources

• Saunders, Stephan, ed. (2015). Jane's Fighting Ships 2015-2016. Jane's Information Group. ISBN 978-0710631435.
• Sheldon-Duplaix, Alexandre (2017). "China's Auxiliary Fleet: Supporting a Blue-Water Navy in the Far Seas?". China's Evolving Surface Fleet. CSMI Red Book. Vol. 14. United States Naval War College. ISBN 978-1-935352-45-7.
• Wertheim, Eric (2013). The Naval Institute Guide to Combat Fleets of the World: Their Ships, Aircraft, and Systems (16 ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. ISBN 978-1591149545.