Chaohu warship sets multiple ocean-going escort records

The Chaohu warship of a destroyer flotilla under the South China Sea Fleet (SCSF) of the Navy of the Chinese People s Liberation Army (PLA) participated in the 4th and 5th escort missions in succession. During its 276-day-long mission period, it covered an accumulative voyage of 52,000 nautical miles, safely escorted 666 Chinese and foreign merchant ships, dispelled 405 suspicious vessels, received and escorted 2 hijacked merchant ships released by pirates and rescued one merchant ship chased by pirates, setting multiple ocean-going escort records of Chinese naval warships with shortest preparation time for ocean-going voyage, longest voyage distance by single warship, longest escort time and most escort batches and escorted ships.

The Chaohu warship is a new generation of guided-missile frigate independently designed and made by China. By the end of 2009, the newly commissioned Chaohu guided-missile frigate received the order to carry out escort mission in the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast. It overcame various difficulties and accomplished the personnel, material and armament preparation for ocean-going voyage as soon as possible.

The escort mission acts as a hone while the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the Somali coast serve as a large arena for tempering troops. The Chaohu guided-missile frigate carried out multiple module trainings including anti-terror and anti-piracy, visitation and capture, and humanitarian relief operation in military operations other than war (MOOTW).

Besides, it also conducted spoken English training and physical training, well accomplishing the escort mission and effectively enhancing the comprehensive combat capability.

By Qian Xiaohu and Cao Haihua