| History | |
|---|---|
 PRC | |
| Status | Active |
| General characteristics | |
| Class & type | Datuo |
| Type | Rescue and salvage ship (ARS) |
| Length | 60 m (196 ft 10 in) |
| Propulsion | Marine diesel |
| Sensors & processing systems | Navigation radar |
TheDatuo class is a class of little knownrescue and salvage ships (ARS) built in thePeople's Republic of China (PRC) for thePeople's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).[1][2][3] The exact domestic Chinese type designation remain unknown, and this class is identified by itsNATO reporting nameDatuo class,[1][2][3] or 大拖 in Chinese, meaning "big tug".
The Datuo class in PLAN service is designated by a combination of two Chinese characters followed by a three-digit number. The second Chinese character is Tuo (拖), meaning Tug in Chinese, because these ships are rescuetugs, and thus can also be used as tugs. The first Chinese character denotes which fleet the ship is service with, with East (Dong, 东) forEast Sea Fleet, North (Bei, 北) forNorth Sea Fleet, and South (Nan, 南) forSouth Sea Fleet. However, the pennant numbers may have changed due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention. As of 2022, a total of four ships have been identified, plus several more units under construction:[1][2][3]
| Type | NATO designation | Pennant No. | Name (English) | Name (Han 中文) | Commissioned | Displacement | Fleet | Status | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Datuo-class rescue and salvage ship (ARS) | Datuo class | Bei-Tuo 742 | North Tug 742 | 北拖 742 | ? | ?t | North Sea Fleet | Active | |||||
| Nan-Tuo 159 | South Tug 159 | 南拖 159 | ? | ?t | South Sea Fleet | Active | |||||||
| Nan-Tuo 194 | South Tug 194 | 南拖 194 | ? | ?t | South Sea Fleet | Active | |||||||
| Nan-Tuo 196 | South Tug 196 | 南拖 196 | ? | ?t | South Sea Fleet | Active | Various | Various | Various | ? | ?t | ? | Under construction |
