A mysterious Chinese vessel with a large open flight deck and three superstructures, which TWZ was first to report on, looks to have made its maiden voyage. Details about the flattop, which currently has various commercial-style rather than military markings and is unlike any other established Chinese Navy vessel class, are still scant. There remains a possibility that this could be a first-of-its-kind ostensibly civilian research ship.
A video, which appears to show the vessel sailing under its own power, along with a still picture of the ship taken from the port side, has emerged online. Both are seen in the social media post below, which erroneously identifies it as a Type 075 amphibious warfare ship.
The ship has a distinctive arrangement with three island-like structures along the starboard side of the flight deck. Toward the bow end, there is a smaller island with a bridge and a traditional mast on top with what appears to be radars and potentially other sensors. In the middle, there is a longer and taller multi-storied island that has an enclosed mast structure on top with a ball radome at the tip. Masts of this kind often have additional sensors and systems installed along their slab-sides. It also has a rear-facing bridge, something typically seen in multi-island carrier layouts as a way to separate flight operations from the other tasks of sailing the ship. The last island structure toward the stern end contains a series of exhaust stacks.
The still picture shows an open space at the stern, which might point to the presence of a well-deck with a gate that folds down when in use. An open space toward the stern on the port that looks like it could be tied to an elevator to move aircraft and other equipment between the main deck and a hangar deck on the port side has been previously seen with a lifeboat inside. What appears to be a crane for launching and recovering small boats and other payloads that stows inside a space inside of the hull is also visible.
Pictures that have previously emerged have also shown the state-run China State Shipbuilding Corporation’s (CSSC) logo at least on the port side of the exhaust stack structure and what may be the ship’s name – “Zhong Chuan Zi Hao” – in Latin script with Chinese characters above it on the side of the hull at the bow. There are no obvious military-style markings, such as a hull number. The flattop was built at Guangzhou Shipyard International’s (GSI) facilities on Longxue Island, just southeast of the city of Guangzhou. GSI is a CSSC subsidiary.
The new video and picture of the flattop away from the dock is the latest evidence of the extremely rapid pace at which the vessel has been produced. Satellite imagery from Planet Labs that TWZ previously reviewed shows construction started sometime after May of this year and the ship was launched sometime between Sept. 10 and Oct. 9.
The ship’s purpose and who its expected operator might be remain murky. As TWZ previously wrote:
“A new class of light aircraft carrier, amphibious assault ship, or even a sea base-type vessel could offer the PLAN valuable additional operational capacity. A simpler design built more to commercial standards, and with an air component centered on crewed helicopters and drones, could also make a lot of sense for supporting certain missions. This might include presence operations, particularly in and around the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea. Such a ship could be useful for supporting anti-submarine warfare and amphibious operations, too.”
“Just being able to build these ships at an additional shipyard could help the PLAN further accelerate its expansion of naval aviation and other capabilities.”
“At the same time, there may also be another uniquely Chinese explanation behind the appearance of the new vessel with its large flight deck in Guangzhou. Since at least 2022, a screenshot said to be from a Chinese government tender has been floating around the internet. A machine translation of its Chinese-language text shows a call for a ‘large-scale special deck operation’ ship for maritime survey and other test/research activities with some kind of flight deck featuring a ‘double-island superstructure.’ There is also a demand for a ‘through-type straight deck’ and a ‘dock compartment’ at the stern, which could refer to a floodable well deck like those found on many amphibious warfare ships. Stated requirements include that the vessel be 200 meters long, have a flight deck 25 meters wide, have a displacement of 15,000 tons, be capable of hitting a top speed of at least 16 knots, have a range of 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a maximum at-sea endurance of 40 days.”
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“A non-military vessel configured like an amphibious assault ship – something no country in the world currently operates – would be able to employ aerial drones and crewed helicopters, and watercraft (crewed and uncrewed) to conduct scientific or other civilian missions. At the same time, it would inherently be capable of serving as a dual-use platform to support military missions like those previously described if called upon.”
You can find TWZ‘s full previous analysis here.
There is also still the possibility that the mystery flattop could be some kind of bespoke training, test, and/or demonstration platform, which CSSC could also use to help prove out other future designs.
With the curious ‘carrier’ now at sea, more details about its design and purpose may begin to emerge. Indications so far point to something unique found nowhere else in the world.
Contact the author: joe@twz.com