This is not surprising. Sichuan was the core province of the "Third Line Construction" in the 1960s. All these thing are the legacy of that time. At that time, it was believed that if a nuclear war broke out, it would be the backup core of China's industry.
Type 076 LHD/LHA discussion
- Thread starter banjex
- Start date
I am not seeing any arresting cables. Are those not installed yet?!
lcloo
Captain
First of all, acquisition of PLAN ships are planned more than 10 years ago or even before that. They are not going to retire any ships just because a new ship appeared this year, or last year.
Each class of ship, type 071, 072, 075 and 076 has been planned and designed more than 10 years ago, and they are going to be deployed either in combination or individually depending on missions. They are not replacing each other.
So,
1) Type 071 is not retiring. Major upgrade or MLU is usually around 15 years after entering service. You will see major changes then but not before. Also they are not likely to build more 071.
2) They will build type 075 as planned, they don't change just because more type 076 will be build.
They have the money to build type 075, type 076 and aircraft carriers all at the same time. Funding is not a problem.
Do you know why by any chance they are likely not to build any more 071s? Do they simply already have enough and the planned amount of 071 LPDs to fit the PLAN's needs or do they plan on building a different, newer class?
lcloo
Captain
I don't know. It's just that they have not built type 071 for many years since introduction of type 075. Probably type 071 is too small compare to type 075, thus has less cargo and passenger capacity.
Yes, the first ship of the 076 amphibious assault ship has been named the "Sichuan" with hull number 51. As a person from Sichuan, I feel a sense of loss, as this signifies that we have lost the right to name an aircraft carrier. However, I want to explain that the naming of this ship as Sichuan and the assignment of hull number 51 hold significant meaning.
Firstly, the hull number 51 is the same as the ID number of Sichuan people. Secondly, from a historical perspective, Sichuan has a special connection to Taiwan. During the Chinese Civil War, Sichuan was one of the last provinces controlled by the Kuomintang on the mainland. It is also noteworthy that Chiang Kai-shek flew to Taiwan from Chengdu just before the city was about to be liberated by the Communist Party. With the defeat of the Kuomintang, a large number of Sichuan people (mainly soldiers) moved to Taiwan along with the remnants of the Nationalist government（ROC）.
In Taiwan, there are many place names that originate from Sichuan. For example, near the Executive Yuan in Taipei, you can find Chengdu Road, Chongqing Road, Kangding Road, Xichang Street, Neijiang Street, Longchang Street, and Emei Street, which are all names of famous cities in Sichuan. Additionally, in the Taiwan Navy, there are the Kangding-class frigates and Tuojiang-class missile boats, with the former named after a city in Sichuan and the latter named after a river in Sichuan.
Given that the main operational direction of the 076 amphibious assault ship is clear, the naming of this ship as Sichuan carries certain specific meanings.
As Chinese people, we hope for better means to resolve cross-strait issues, and we wish for peace across the Taiwan Strait and peace in the world!