PLAN Type 62 Coastal Defense Boat
by Xinhui
This article is based on an article from Naval and Merchant ships with corrections and additions from China Today, People’s Navy and personal interviews.
The Type 62 Coastal Defense Boat, also known, as the Shanghai class, is a low-cost patrol boat made famous during the Indochina war of 1960s in service with the North Vietnamese Navy. Amazingly, this primitive is still in production after more then 300 examples were built. The Type 62 serves today as a first assignment for many of People’s Liberation Amy-Navy (PLAN) recruits and remains in service with many world navies.
DEVELOPMENT:
During the early 1950s, the PLAN began to design and manufacture small gunboats for patrol and continued naval warfare with Nationalist force around the Taiwan Strait . Initially, there were no coordinated building efforts among ships yards. Luda Shipyard laid down the Type 53 class littoral combatant while Qingdao Shipyard build the Type 55 class. In addition there were piecemeal production runs at both the Shanghai and Guangzhou shipyards. Those earlier types performed poorly as patrol boats and as combatant gunboats.
During the early 1950s, the PLAN began to design and manufacture small gunboats for patrol and continued naval warfare with Nationalist force around the Taiwan Strait . Initially, there were no coordinated building efforts among ships yards. Luda Shipyard laid down the Type 53 class littoral combatant while Qingdao Shipyard build the Type 55 class. In addition there were piecemeal production runs at both the Shanghai and Guangzhou shipyards. Those earlier types performed poorly as patrol boats and as combatant gunboats.
The earlier Type 55 Patrol Boat.
In late 1950s, an order from the PLAN called the production of a single 100 tons class with higher speed and greater firepower to fulfill littoral combat need. In February 1959, the Navy Ship Repair and Manufacture Department combined the strengths of several earlier models designed by various shipyards and the naval academy into a standard new model of patrol boat. Construction began on this new model in May 1960 at Dalian Shipyard, and after 2 years of trials, the design was finalized in November 1962.
The first prototype was coded as the 0111 with a displacement of 125 tons. After the completion of the third prototype, the single 57mm cannon was replaced by a twin 37mm cannon, speed increased to 30 knots, and weight reduced to 115 tons. The modified design was officially accepted as Type 62 Model 0111A with official designation of Model 62 Coastal Defense Boat. Series production began the very same year.
The first three 0111 prototypes were exported to North Vietnam and later sunk.
Vicotrious return after sunking two KMT ships.
