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Type 904 general stores issue ship and its successors Type 904A and Type 904B are second generation general stores issue ships currently in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). A total of five units have been built and as of mid 2015, two Type 904 ships, one Type 904A, and two Type 904B.

Type 904

Built by Qiuxin (求新) Shipyard of Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai, Type 904 (and its successor Type 904A) are frequently but erroneously referred by many as underway replenishment ships. However, this is incorrect because these ships are designed as general stores issue ships, and they lack the gentries and transfer stations, and thus are not capable of performing any underway replenishment duties. Type 904 and Type 904A are equipped with four davits each housing a small boat, with two on each side, and these boats are the primary means of transfer supplies. Type 904 and Type 904A are intended to supply garrisons on offshore islands without any port facilities. Helicopter can be carried, but it platform only, without any hangars, and helicopter is the secondary mean of transferring supplies. Type 904 AKS has received NATO reporting name Dayun (大运, meaning Great Transportation) class.^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] Specification:^[5]

Full displacement (t): 10975
Length (m): 156.2
Width (m): 20.6
Draft (m): 6.8
Propulsion: 2 diesel engines @ 9000 hp
Speed (kn): 22
Crew: 240
Aramament: 4 twin 37 mmi guns and 4 twin 25 mm guns
Endurance (nmi): 10000

Type 904A

After two Type 904 were completed, production was transferred to an improved version designated as Type 904A that is more than 50% larger in terms of displacement (up to 15000 tons), but armament was reduced by half.^[6] This huge size difference is enough for Type 904A to receive a new NATO reporting name Danyao^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4](弹药, meaning ammo, because when Type 904A was first put in use, the bulk of cargo it delivered was observed to be mostly ammunition). Type 904A has been temporarily loaned to China Fishery Law Enforcement Agency as its largest patrol ship.^[7] Specification: Specification (for Type 904):^[7]

Full displacement (t): 15000
Length (m): 171.1
Width (m): 24.8
Draft (m): 9
Propulsion: 2 diesel engines @ 9000 hp
Speed (kn): 22
Crew: 240
Aramament: 4 twin 37 mm guns
Endurance (nmi): 10000

Type 904B

Only a single Type 904A was built before production is switched to Type 904B, two of which are currently under construction.^[8]^[9] The biggest difference between Type 904B and its predecessor Type 904A is the addition of hangar onboard Type 904B, where Type 904A only had a landing platform.^[8]^[9] Other improvements include the replacement of older twin gun mounts by new H/PJ15 single 30 mm gun mounts and more advanced electronics such as radars.^[9] These differences are enough for Type 904B to receive a new NATO reporting name Danyao II^[1]^[2]^[3]^[4] class.

Ships of Class

Type	Pennant #	Name	Builder	Launched	Commissioned	Status	Fleet
904	883	Dongting Lake	Jiangnan Shipyard	Mar 1992		Active	South Sea Fleet
904	884	Jingpo Lake	Jiangnan Shipyard	Aug 1992		Active	South Sea Fleet
904A	888	Fuxian Lake	―	2007		Active	South Sea Fleet
904B	961	Junshan Lake	CSI	22 March 2015	June 2015	Active	South Sea Fleet
904B	962	Luguhu	CSI	10 July 2015	26 December 2015	Active [1]	South Sea Fleet
904B	965		CSI			Fitting Out