Type 614 research vessel is a type of Chinese research vessel in service with the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). The ship has two derivatives, one is in weather ship configuration, and the other in oceanographic research ship configuration. Type 614 research vessel has been replaced by Type 625.
The origin of Type 614I weather ship rooted back in March 1965 when requirement was first issued to the 708th Institute of China State Shipbuilding Corporation, which is also more commonly known as China Shipbuilding and Oceanic Engineering Design Academy (中国船舶及海洋工程设计研究) nowadays. Initial design was completed in June 1965 and on June 28, 1965, design review was held in Beijing. In December 1965, the design was finalized and in February of the following year, construction begun in Shanghai, and was completed in December 1969. The ship was initially named as Xiangyanghong (向阳红, meaning facing the sun in red in Chinese) 01,and after Type 614 II and Type 614III entered service, Type 614 is renamed as Type 614I to avoid confusion because the term Type 614 is used to denote all three types. After decades of service with Chinese military and paramilitary establishments, it was transferred to Chinese coast guard. Specification:[1]
Type 614II weather ship is an enlarged version of Type 614I, and it is longer than its predecessor. The propulsion is D39 engine, which replaced 8350Z engine on Type 614I, to reach an intended speed of 18 kt. Initial design was completed in 1966 and was finalized in May 1967. Decision was made to build two ship simultaneously in parallel, and construction for both ships begun at Guangzhou Shipyard International in 1968. Both ships were launched in mid 1971 and both entered service in May 1972.
Type 614II ships are named as Xiangyanghong 02 and Xiangyanghong 03 respectively. In May 1986, the 708th Institute carried out a major redesign of Xiangyanghong 02 to enable it to handle MAREX-740 buoy system, and the conversion work was carried out by the same builder, which completed the work in 1988. Specification:[2]
Type 614III is the oceanographic research ship version of the Type 614 series, and it is based on earlier Type 614II weather ship. The 3rd Directorate of the 708th Institute completed the design of Type 614III in February 1970 and after changing the planned contractors for several times, Wuhu Shipyard was finally selected to build Type 614III. As with its predecessor Type 614II, the two ships of Type 614III were also built simultaneously in parallel with construction begun in 1971, launched in 1972 and entering service in September 1974. Type 614III ships are named as Xiangyanghong 07 and Xiangyanghong 08 respectively. Specification:[3]
Original names of the ships in the table might have been changed after transferring to different governmental establishments.
| Type | Classification | Pennant # | Builder | Laid down | Launched | Commissioned | Status | Fleet | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 614I | weather ship | Xiangyanghong 01 | Jiangnan Shipyard | Feb 1967 | ― | Dec 19, 1969 | Retired | East Sea Fleet | |
| 614II | weather ship | Xiangyanghong 02 | Guangzhou Shipyard International | 1968 | 1971 | May 1972 | Retired | South Sea Fleet | |
| 614II | weather ship | Xiangyanghong 03 | Guangzhou Shipyard International | 1968 | 1971 | May 1972 | Retired | South Sea Fleet | |
| 614III | oceanographic research ship | Xiangyanghong 07 | Wuhu Shipyard | Jun 1971 | Apr 20, 1972 | Sep 26, 1974 | Retired | North Sea Fleet | |
| 614III | oceanographic research ship | Xiangyanghong 08 | Wuhu Shipyard | Jun 1971 | Apr 20, 1972 | Sep 26, 1974 | Retired | North Sea Fleet |