Type 073I Landing Ship Medium
Requirement of Type 073 medium landing ship was finalized in May 1965, and design work by Shanghai-based 708th Research Institute completed just 4 months later in September 1965. Preparation to build this class was completed in October 1966, and construction begun a month later in November 1966. Due to political turmoil in China at the time, namely, Cultural Revolution, it was not until almost three years later in August 1969 when the ship was launched. From November 1969 thru December 1969, extensive trials were conducted and the ship was handed over to PLAN in December 1969 for further tests. In 1970 more tests were conducted with more than 7000 km logged, and the longest trip was from Chongqing to Dalian.
However, trials revealed that the vibration was too great at high speed, and Type 073 LSM did not enter production. Redesign work designated as Type 073II immediately started after the trials of the first unit ended, and the first unit entered PLAN service with pennant number 904 was subsequently designated as Type 073I, and was later ordered to be converted to Type 073II standard. Due to the political turmoil at the time, conversion was not completed until 1975. Specifications:
- Length: 69 meter
- Beam: 10.5 meter
- Displacement: 850 tons
- Speed: 15 kt max
- Range: 1200 nm
- Crew: 75
- Armament: 2 Type 61 twin 37 mm AAA & 2 Type 61 twin 25 mm AAA
- Propulsion: 2 D-39 diesel @ 1617.6 kW each
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