Type 073II Landing Ship Medium
Shortcomings of Type 073I exposed in trials caused a crush program to rework and redesign at Dalian Shipyard, but due to political turmoil in China at the time, it was not sufficient enough to correct the problem completely. Shipyard # 9308 in Anhui petitioned the 6th Machinery Industrial Ministry and Anhui provincial Defense Industrial Office to construct Type 73II LSM in 1975, which was approved in April 1976, with orders for 3 ships. Construction of the first Type 073II LSM at Shipyard # 9308 begun five months later in September 1976, and it was launched in June 1978. From 1978 to 1979, extensive trials were conducted and the ship was handed over to PLAN in early 1980, with pennant number East Transport 757 (East Transport = Dong Yun 东运 in Chinese), meaning Transport 757 of East Sea Fleet of PLAN. This unit was later reassigned as # 937.
The primary difference between Type 073I and Type 073II is in the engine. Additional balance weight was added to the diesel engine which solved the vibration problem, but the reliability issue of the engine remain unsolved, and as a result, Type 073II did not enter mass production, just like its predecessor Type 073I. Specification:
- Displacement: 1,040 t
- Length: 77.4 m
- Beam: 10.4 m
- Draft: 2.5 m
- Speed: 18 kn
- Range: 1,000 nmi @ 16 kn
- Propulsion: Diesel engines
- Complement: 60
- Armament: Four 25 mm guns (II x 2)
- Radar: 1 Soviet Fine Curve navigational radar
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