Exercises Modernization

Navy Ship Zheng He: The "Mother Ship" of Talent, Endless Wake

海军郑和舰：人才“母舰”，无尽航迹

PLA Daily (解放军报) 30 July 2026

Summary

Hull 81 Zheng He, the People's Navy's first oceangoing navigation training vessel, has logged over 600,000 nautical miles and trained more than 50,000 naval personnel since her 1987 commissioning. The article is institutional commemoration marking her 39th year of service; its value is as a baseline record of the PLAN's long-running officer-training pipeline and the scale of throughput a single dedicated training hull has sustained, not as evidence of any change in training posture or capacity.

Translation

The Navy's ship Zheng He, hull number 81, is the People's Navy's first oceangoing navigation training vessel. She was launched on July 12, 1986, and commissioned into service on April 27, 1987.

A journey of struggle, a journey of glory. In the 39 years since Zheng He's commissioning, she has sailed a cumulative total of more than 600,000 nautical miles—equivalent to circumnavigating the globe 28 times. Her wake has spanned three oceans and six continents, and she has cultivated and delivered more than 50,000 outstanding military personnel to the Navy, earning her the well-deserved title of "meritorious training vessel" (功勋训练舰).

A reporter spoke with Zheng He's instructors, crew members, and trainees to look back on the moving stories of how the Zheng He has trained talent for the nation over the past several decades.

Original Chinese

海军郑和舰，舷号81，是人民海军第一艘远洋航海训练舰，于1986年7月12日下水，1987年4月27日入列服役。一路奋斗，一路荣光。郑和舰入列39年以来，累计航行超60万海里，相当于绕地球28圈，航迹遍布三大洋六大洲，为海军培养输送了5万余名优秀军事人才，成为名副其实的“功勋训练舰”。记者对话郑和舰教员、舰员、学员，回顾几十年来郑和舰为国育才的动人故事。