Chinaâs Mysterious Aircraft Carrier Sets Sail
A mysterious flat-top ship was recently spotted departing from the Guangzhou shipyard, after being quickly built. The purpose of the vessel is still not clear.
On Nov. 26 2024, a mysterious aircraft carrier-like ship was seen departing Guangzhou shipyard, China, under its own power.
The reports first started circulating online when Douyin user Lac59888 posted a video of the vessel sailing out of Guangzhou Shipyard International in Longxue Island, Guangzhou. The vessel clearly shows three island-like structures on the deck. This would be the second carrier currently in the testing phase in China, alongside the PLAN’s new Type 003 Fujian supercarrier.
民用版075试航😃 pic.twitter.com/reQIGlxhNN
— DS北风（风哥） (@WenJian0922) November 26, 2024
Curiously, the ship does not sport the typical PLAN (People’s Liberation Army Navy) markings such as a hull number, but rather a civilian marking with the CSSC (China State Shipbuilding Corporation)’s logo on the Superstructure. The presumed name “Zhong Chuan Zi Hao” in both alphabet and Chinese characters are also printed on the hull. The vessel has been built and now tested at a rapid pace – construction started around May of this year.
Structure of the ship
The structure of the ship is quite similar to that of the PLAN’s Type 075 Amphibious Warfare Vessel, and so much so that social media posts wrongly identified the ship as a “Civilian Type 075”. The new vessel sports three ‘island’ like buildings alongside the starboard of the flight deck – a smaller island with sensors and a bridge to the front, a taller, multi-story one with a radome at the top in the center and a small, aft-facing structure without any obvious radar/sensors, which also contains exhaust stacks to the back.
The design might be the end-product of a requirement for a vessel by the Chinese government, of which a screenshot of the requirements have been circulating online since around 2022. The tender states a requirement for the vessel to “be 200 meters long, have a flight deck 25 meters wide, have a displacement of 15,000 tons, be capable of hitting a top speed of at least 16 knots, have a range of 5,000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 12 knots, and a maximum at-sea endurance of 40 days”.
Rough measurements by Bluesky user @mtanderson.bsky.social using satellite imagery have placed the ship’s length at 201m, with a width of 38.6m. This fits the requirements stated by the tender basically to the meter.
Videos and photos of the vessel also show spaces on the side of the ship which could indicate hangars, as well as sections which look like they could lead to elevators to move equipment and aircraft have also been seen. Cranes, which could be used to launch smaller vessels and other equipment, have also been seen. The deck features markings for VTOL operations.
Dual-Use concept
Although the exact mission set of the ship continues to be unclear, it is plausible that the new ship is intended for dual-use. This means that it has both civilian and military applications. The non-military ship that has the configuration of an amphibious assault ship could launch drones and helicopters to conduct scientific research and other non-military missions, while having the capability to support or launch military missions if required. This is a common occurrence, with civilian-registered ships partaking in or supporting military missions.
A civilian vessel resembling an amphibious assault ship is unprecedented globally. As sea trials begin, further details may shed light on its purpose. For now, it appears to be a one-of-a-kind design, fulfilling a unique role unseen elsewhere.