Type 037 class submarine chaser
Encyclopedia
The Type 037 class submarine chaser, also known as the Hainan class, is a class of submarine chaser
Submarine chaser
A submarine chaser is a small and fast naval vessel specially intended for anti-submarine warfare. Although similar vessels were designed and used by many nations, this designation was most famously used by ships built by the United States of America...
of the People's Republic of China
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
's People's Liberation Army Navy
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy is the naval branch of the People's Liberation Army , the military of the People's Republic of China. Until the early 1990s, the navy performed a subordinate role to the PLA Land Forces. Since then, it has undergone rapid modernisation...
, designed by China to replace the Soviet S.O.-1 class submarine chaser. Early units had Dual Purpose Mk.26 76.2 mm guns and Russian RBU-1200 ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
rocket launchers, but eventually, these were replaced by Chinese Type 66 twin 57 mm guns and Type 81 ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
rocket launchers (the Chinese version of RBU-1200). The original Skin Head radar has been replaced by the Pot Head radar. In addition to ASW
Anti-submarine warfare
Anti-submarine warfare is a branch of naval warfare that uses surface warships, aircraft, or other submarines to find, track and deter, damage or destroy enemy submarines....
missions, these simple yet effective units are also capable of a wide variety of missions such as mine laying and patrol.
Exports and successors
Over 70 were built, but as newer submarine chasers enter service, this class is being transferred into the reserves. A number of these have been exported to BangladeshBangladesh
Bangladesh , officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh is a sovereign state located in South Asia. It is bordered by India on all sides except for a small border with Burma to the far southeast and by the Bay of Bengal to the south...
, Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
, North Korea
North Korea
The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , , is a country in East Asia, occupying the northern half of the Korean Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Pyongyang. The Korean Demilitarized Zone serves as the buffer zone between North Korea and South Korea...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
. The Type 037 Hainan class is also the base of Type 206 class gunboat
Type 206 class gunboat
The Type 206 class gunboat is a gunboat of the People's Republic of China's People's Liberation Army Navy. Also known as the Huludao class, it is a simplified version of the Type 037 class submarine chaser...
, also known as Huludao class.The Type 037 Hainan class is also the base of El Moudarib class, in the Algerian National Navy
Algerian National Navy
The Algerian National Navy is the naval branch of the Military of Algeria. The navy operates from 3 bases at Algiers, Annaba and Mers-el-Kébir on the Mediterranean coast....
.
Operational service
During the Sino-South Vietnamese naval clashes on January 19, 1974, two boats of this class, # 281 & # 282 (two out of the 8 total in Chinese inventory) participated in the latter half of the battle, the fastest Chinese units in the conflict. Originally the units were waiting at Yongxing IslandWoody Island, South China Sea
Woody Island, also known as Yongxing Island , is one of the major islands of Paracel Islands in South China Sea. It is administrated by the People's Republic of China through the Yongxingdao Neighborhood Committee. It has no indigenous inhabitants, although there are People's Liberation Army...
, but due to the problem of communications (mainly due to the backwardness of the Chinese communication gear), they were not notified until the battle was already in progress.