Nanning frigate

Nanning frigate

The People's Navy in the early days of the founding of the People's Republic of China was extremely short of combat ships. Because our country had just gone through a long war at that time, various undertakings were in dire straits, and we were not yet capable of manufacturing ships. We could only strengthen our navy by purchasing scrapped ships from abroad for modification and repairing ships that were originally damaged in the war. Among them, the frigate Nanning was returned to service after repairs. The ship was originally the Japanese coastal defense ship Manzhu.

In 1941, the Japanese Navy concocted a "Marukyu Shipbuilding Plan" to build selective-type coastal defense ships to provide long-distance escort for maritime transportation in the southern occupied areas. In order to facilitate rapid production, measures such as simplifying living facilities, simplifying and straightening the appearance, and not installing heating equipment in cold areas were adopted during manufacturing. One of the selective-capture coastal defense ships was launched in March 1943 and named after Manju Island in Yamaguchi Prefecture on July 5 of the same year. On November 30, the Manju returned to Wujinshufu after completion at Tamano Shipyard, a subsidiary of Mitsui Shipbuilding. On August 22, 1944, it was incorporated into the 31st Marine Corps. On October 20, 1944, the Manchu was incorporated into the newly formed 21st Coastal Defense Corps.

The Manzhu has a standard displacement of 870 tons, a full load of 1,020 tons, a crew of 150, a total length of 77.7 meters, a width of 9.1 meters, and a draft of 3.05 meters; the power system is two ship-based diesel engines, using heavy oil as fuel. , the main engine output power is 4200 horsepower, dual-shaft propulsion, the maximum speed is 19.7 knots, the endurance is 8000 nautical miles/16 knots; the weapons are 3 annual 45 times diameter 120mm main guns, 2 triple 25mm anti-aircraft guns, 1 Type 94 deep Bomb projector, 6 depth bomb delivery platforms, equipped with 36 depth bombs, and also equipped with mine clearing equipment. On January 31, 1945, the Man Chu, which was participating in the escort, was torpedoed by a torpedo launched by a US submarine outside Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, and the bow of the ship was blown off, resulting in 6 deaths and 2 injuries.

The Japanese army towed the Manchu to Saigon for emergency repairs. On February 5, the ship sailed to Singapore to enter a canal for repairs. On March 19, the Manchu and several Japanese ships set sail from Singapore to escort the remaining transport ships back to Japan. Along the way, the fleet was constantly attacked by US aircraft and submarines, causing heavy losses. The remaining ships arrived in Hong Kong, China on April 2. The next day, the Japanese warship was preparing to regroup and return to Moji, Japan. Before setting sail, it was attacked by more than a hundred U.S. B-24 bombers in a large-scale air attack. The Manchu was bombed and the ship was flooded and stranded. 54 people inside were shot dead, and the Japanese fleet was almost completely wiped out. On May 11, the Manzhu was salvaged and then entered the dock for repairs.

The Manchu had not yet been completed when Japan surrendered. At the end of August, it was controlled by the British troops stationed in Hong Kong, China. On May 27, 1946, the damaged Manzhu was taken over by the Kuomintang Navy and towed to the Huangpu Shipyard in Guangzhou. It was given the temporary number Hai No. 7. It has been shelved because of the inability to repair it. Later, Hai No. 7 and the other two The Japanese ship was sold for 270,000 Hong Kong dollars. However, the Hai 7 itself was seriously damaged. Although it was sold, it was still left at the shipyard for repairs. When the Kuomintang troops retreated, the minesweeper Yongxiu fired several shots at Hai No. 7, causing the ship to become even more damaged.

After liberation, the shipyard gathered some technical personnel from several domestic shipyards to repair and renovate the damaged Hai-7. The front half of the hull was redesigned, making the warship longer by 0.6 meters, and the superstructure, living facilities, and weapons and equipment were all redesigned. It was completed in 1955 and joined the People's Navy, and was renamed the Nanning frigate, hull number 3-172.

Since 1957, the frigate Nanning and other ships have patrolled the Nansha and Xisha islands and reefs many times, protecting the offshore production of our country’s fishing boats.

In 1965, the Nanning served as the flagship of a Chinese naval formation that went to Indonesia to perform an evacuation mission. The ship successfully completed its mission. At 20:21 on the evening of July 7, 1973, the Nanning collided with the Hongqi 110 in Zhanjiang Port. Therefore, the ship failed to participate in the Xisha War that broke out in January 1974.

The frigate Nanning participated in the filming of the movie "The Storm in the South China Sea" in 1976, playing the role of the enemy No. 10 ship in the film. In 1979, the Nanning was decommissioned. This warship, which was damaged in the war, joined the People's Navy after repairs, and contributed to the mission of defending the motherland's maritime borders, has gone through a life of ups and downs.