On October 22, 2023, the Urumqi and Dongpinghu ships of the Navy escorted 10 Chinese fishing boats. Wang Yuanfang/photo
In the waters of the Gulf of Aden, the waves are surging and merchant ships are gathered.
"I am a Chinese Navy escort formation, if you need help, please call me on channel 16. "In early winter, the Urumqi, Linyi, and Dongpinghu ships of the 45th batch of escort formations of the Chinese Navy were carrying out escort missions here, and familiar voices sounded on the radio stations of passing merchant ships.
The hand of time is turned back 15 years ago, on December 26, 2008. In accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council and the order of the Central Military Commission, the Wuhan, Haikou and Weishanhu warships of the Navy set sail for the Gulf of Aden and the waters off Somalia to carry out escort missions. Since then, there has been a Chinese power to maintain peace in this dangerous sea area where piracy is rampant.
In the past 15 years, the world situation has been changing and turbulent, and the Chinese Navy has continuously dispatched 45 escort squadrons, more than 150 ships and more than 35,000 officers and men to carry out escort missions, making important contributions to maintaining regional peace and stability.
In the past 15 years, the People's Navy has transformed and reshaped and advanced into the deep blue, and escort has become an important testing ground for naval transformation.
Looking back at the first escort formation from the 45th escort formation, we can clearly see a series of gratifying changes brought about by the escort to this branch of the military: the ships are changing and becoming more advanced, the personnel are changing and becoming more and more confident, and the mode is changing and becoming more and more efficient......
Through these changes, we can see the sonorous pace of a military branch to accelerate its transformation and become a strong maritime force, and see the mission of a nation shaking hands with the world and guarding peace.
From piracy to nowhere to nowhere to be seen: a 15-year mission relay
Open the world map and focus on the Gulf of Aden.
After mankind entered the Age of Discovery, it gradually became a busy golden waterway, and it was also a dangerous sea area where pirates were rampant.
From the north of Socotra Island to the southern mouth of the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, there are points where the escort ships of the Chinese Navy and the escorted ships meet and protect, which are point A and point B, and the two points are hundreds of nautical miles apart. For many years, the Chinese Navy's escort formations have mainly sailed continuously between these two points, day and night, escorting Chinese and foreign ships.
Ma Liang, captain of the Jingzhou ship of the 44th escort group, clearly remembers that when he carried out the third escort mission in 2009, pirates would appear almost every month.
This is Maleonn's fifth escort. He and his escort officers and men found that in recent years, merchant ships in and out of the Gulf of Aden were still busy, but pirates were becoming more and more rare.
It is not only the escort officers and soldiers who feel the same way, but also the merchant ships that travel to and from this sea area.
On July 25, when the news of the 44th batch of escort ships in Jingzhou came over the radio, the crew of the merchant ship "Hailan Zhiyun" sailing to the vicinity of point A was very excited, "just like the stormy waves passing through the Arabian Sea and suddenly entering a warm harbor, because they feel the care of the motherland!"
For the next three days, the formation took a relay escort to escort the merchant ship to point B. After the escort, Captain Lu Wenshan sent a letter of thanks to the formation.
Lu Wenshan has passed through the Gulf of Aden several times. He recalls that more than 10 years ago, pirates were rampant here, and every moment of the voyage was fearful. "But now you bring peace and tranquility to this sea!"
One month later, when the merchant ship "Hailan Zhiyun" returned, the formation escorted it to point A.
The change in the number of pirates, from rampant pirates to rare sights, reflects the effectiveness of the Chinese Navy's 15 years of escort operations. Officers and men have faced life and death time and again, defused crises, challenged the limits, and ensured the success of every escort operation.
In recent years, with the continuous changes in the sea areas of piracy activities, target objects, and attack methods, various groups of formations have continuously improved and innovated the command mode of escort organizations.
The escort area is constantly expanding. According to the meteorological characteristics of the sea area and the situation of piracy activities, each batch of formations will extend the traditional points A and B for hundreds or even thousands of nautical miles to ensure the 100% safety of the escorted ships. In June 2009, the second escort group of Huangshan ships escorted ships into the Bab el-Mandeb Strait for the first time and successfully drove away pirate ships. In May 2017, the 26th batch of escort ships in Yangzhou were located in the northwest Indian Ocean sea area, providing on-board escort for the mainland marine scientific research ship "Xiangyanghong 10" to carry out marine scientific investigations.
The escort model is constantly innovating. From accompanying escorts, relay escorts, regional escorts, and extended escorts, to intercepting external forces by ships, verifying and driving away small boats, deterring helicopters in the air, and rescuing special combat personnel by force, to the integrated coordination of ships, boats, and aircraft, we have flexibly innovated methods to optimize the efficiency of the use of troops in light of the different characteristics of the use of troops.
No matter how ships, personnel, and modes change, the Chinese Navy's responsibility to maintain regional security and stability has never changed. The 15 years of continuous escort have proved that the increasingly powerful Chinese Navy has been making important contributions to world peace.
In the Gulf of Aden, where there are many sails, the Chinese Navy's escort formation, which holds high the five-star red flag, has become the most trustworthy force for peace in the nearby waters and in the local area with its responsible attitude and excellent quality.
Merchant ships of some countries would rather wait a few days for Chinese warships to escort them, and many foreign merchant ships have even sailed from the "International Recommendation Corridor" to apply to join the escort team of the Chinese Navy, and some foreign ships have joined the escort group of the Chinese Navy more than 10 times. Just like the merchant ship "Wanda" that was escorted a few months ago said: every time you take a ship through the Gulf of Aden, you have to apply for a Chinese warship to escort you!
Over the past 15 years, the Chinese Navy's escort squadron has successfully completed more than 1,600 batches of escort missions for more than 7,200 Chinese and foreign ships, and rescued and escorted nearly 100 ships of various types, of which more than 50% are foreign ships, and has continued to maintain the absolute safety of the escorted ships.
From a single escort to a multiplicity of tasks: on the international stage
On November 17, 2023, the sea breeze blew in Karachi, Pakistan, and the China-Pakistan "Ocean Guardian-3" joint maritime exercise Xi concluded here.
Counting the Chinese side's participation in the exercise, the Linyi came from the 45th escort group, which is escorting ships in the Gulf of Aden, and the three ships of the 44th escort group have just concluded a friendly visit to the Middle East.
The deployment of escort forces to conduct joint exercises with foreign militaries is a practical exploration of the Chinese Navy's escort formations to strengthen international cooperation and deepen military exchanges.
Go to the ocean to sharpen the elite soldiers, and join hands to defend peace. Since the third batch of escort formations launched the "Peace Blue Shield-2009" joint exercise with the Russian Navy, the Chinese Navy has taken the escort as an opportunity to gradually establish a new mechanism for organizing friendly visits and participating in Sino-foreign joint exercises in conjunction with the escort team, actively exchanging and cooperating with foreign militaries, and constantly deepening friendship and trust between them.
Attentive netizens found that many ships participated in escorts, visits, and joint exercises more than once.
This time, the Linyi and Pakistani ships formed a formation throughout the whole process, and the two sides made a joint cruise in the northern Arabian Sea for the first time. The experience of the Linyi ship is very rich. In the spring of 2015, the Yemeni civil war broke out, and the 19th batch of escort ships Linyi, Weifang, and Weishanhu urgently went to Yemen to evacuate overseas Chinese.
"Chinese Navy, take you home!" These eight words not only moved the Chinese people, but also warmed the foreign friends. While successfully evacuating 683 Chinese citizens, the formation also safely evacuated 279 citizens from 15 countries.
"A few days ago I was facing artillery fire and death, but now I am standing on the soil of my homeland. You can't imagine how grateful I am to China in my heart. Glenn Edward, an expatriate who returned to Sri Lanka from Yemen, said emotionally.
Similar situations happen all the time.
As early as the spring of 2011, the 7th batch of escort ships in Xuzhou successfully completed the task of escorting ships evacuating our personnel from Libya. This is the first time that a Chinese warship has participated in the evacuation of civilians in a humanitarian crisis, and it has been widely praised by international public opinion.
At the end of April this year, the 43rd batch of escort ships Nanning and Weishanhu ships urgently went to Sudan to evacuate overseas Chinese. In addition to 272 Chinese citizens, the second batch of evacuees also carried 221 people from Pakistan, Brazil and other countries. Pakistani Hawar said excitedly: "Thank you China, we love you!"
Guarding peace, protecting life. Over the past 15 years, while carrying out escort missions, Chinese warships have stepped forward again and again at critical junctures when various countries need them.
In September 2013, the 16th escort group Yancheng went to the Mediterranean Sea and completed seven batches of Syrian chemical weapons shipping escort missions.
In March 2014, the 17th batch of escort formations traveled more than 3,500 nautical miles to participate in the joint search and rescue of Malaysia Airlines flight MH370.
In April 2017, 16 special combat members of the 25th Escort Formation boarded the Tuvalu-flagged merchant ship "OS35", arrested 3 pirates, and successfully rescued 19 crew members......
The escort opened a window and showed the world that the Chinese Navy is a moderate but powerful force for peace.
Looking through the escort records of the past few years, we can find that the formation and foreign navies have regularly carried out joint exercises, sent officers to each other to observe ships, and carried out joint escort, anti-piracy, and international humanitarian rescue exercises with escort ships of dozens of countries.
As a rookie in the Chinese Navy's destroyer family, the Urumqi also participated in the Sino-Iranian Xi-Russian joint maritime exercise and the Sino-Russian anti-piracy exercise in the 39th batch of escort formations early last year. The Nanning and Zibo ships have been listed for only four years, and they have completed their growth and transformation through major tasks such as escort and joint exercises.
Over the years, more and more new-type warships, such as the Nanning, Zibo, and Urumqi, have rushed to the Gulf of Aden to display their style on the international stage, enhancing the self-confidence and confidence of the navies of major countries.
Today, for the Chinese Navy's escort formation, the rush to the Gulf of Aden is no longer just for escort. Committed to building a community with a shared future for mankind and the ocean, the People's Navy has been taking more and more actions, tracking farther and farther, and deepening cooperation with foreign militaries.
In the middle of summer, the 43rd escort group visited five countries in West Africa, visited local schools many times, donated school Xi supplies to children, and displayed traditional Chinese culture such as lion dance and tai chi. Mifum, director of the Libreville Angonje Children's Welfare Institute in Gabon, said with emotion: "The smiles on the children's faces are a testimony to the friendly exchanges between China and Canada. ”
In late autumn, the 44th batch of escort squadrons visited four countries in the Middle East to carry out joint maritime exercises with the host countries. When leaving Zayed Port in Abu Dhabi, Commodore Abdullah, deputy commander of the UAE Navy, who came to see him off, told the commander of the formation that he hoped that the two sides would have more and deeper opportunities for dialogue, cooperation and military exchanges in the future, and sincerely wished that the friendship between China and Abu Dhabi would last forever.
Over the past 15 years, the escort squadron has visited more than 70 countries and regions on three oceans and six continents 118 times, and participated in more than 150 Sino-foreign joint exercises.
From accompanying support to base-based support: the support conditions are becoming more and more mature
In late October, walking in the camp area of the Chinese People's Liberation Army support base in Djibouti, Han Luwen, the leader of the cooking squad of the Qiandao Lake ship of the 44th escort formation and a first-class sergeant, walked briskly, "as if he had found the feeling of going home, comfortable and warm." ”
This is the routine berthing and rest of the Qiandao Lake ship every month, and the officers and men of the escort are at the base for leisure and recreation, and they are grounded. In those days, Han Luwen and his comrades-in-arms played billiards, went to book bars, went out shopping, sweated in the gym, and treated him in the base hospital with experts from the Naval Medical University.
This is also the daily routine of escort ships berthing and resting since the opening of our support base in Djibouti in August 2017.
These are things that Han Luwen didn't dare to imagine before. Since 2009, Han Luwen has carried out a total of 8 escort missions in the 3rd, 4th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 20th, 29th, and 44th batches, and has personally experienced the change process of the escort support model.
More than 10 years ago, within a few days of going to sea, the green leafy vegetables turned yellow. When the third escort squadron celebrated the Spring Festival overseas for the first time, the officers and men ate green leafy vegetables and then roots, and finally had to eat potatoes.
"Gone are those days. Cheng Guangjie, assistant of the 44th batch of escort group support group, said that the navy, together with relevant state departments, has established a complete system from vegetable source procurement, harvesting and pre-cooling, modified atmosphere packaging to cold chain transportation, and advanced equipment and technology have greatly extended the shelf life.
Before the formation departed from Zhoushan, Hou Jianjian, a researcher from a research institute in Shanghai, went to the wharf to purchase staple and non-staple food for each ship, and even gave guidance and suggestions on the order and placement of dishes. He predicted the consumption according to the number of ships on board, and suggested that he buy an additional few hundred catties of sea green.
In the past, due to the limitation of the number of equipment, one supply ship supported two batches of formations in a row, and it was a great test for people and equipment at sea for a long time. With the rapid development of the naval equipment system, the number of ocean-going supply ships has increased significantly, and the performance has also been improved a lot, along with the continuous upgrading of support capabilities. Nowadays, with the blessing of technology and equipment, even if the combat ship does not dock, it can basically see green every day and have food every day.
As the escort ships have traveled farther and farther, and there have been more and more visits and exchanges, the mode of combining foreign port replenishment, commercial operation and foreign support has gradually moved away, which can better meet the needs of long-distance and high-intensity escort missions.
Over the years, escort equipment support has established an integrated support force system, forming a path of combining formation with independent support, remote maintenance technical support, and emergency forward support. In July this year, a part of the main engine of the Zibo ship was broken, and it was transferred from China to overseas bases and then sent to the ship, but it took only a few days.
During a friendly visit to five West African countries, including Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana, the officers and men of the 43rd escort squadron ate local seasonal seafood. In Djibouti, the 44th escort group refueled the ships directly there. In Oman, the officers and men of the 45th escort group drank fresh and rich local milk for breakfast.
"It's easy to rely on suppliers to supply directly from the berth, the prices are affordable, and the ingredients are fresh, but local procurement is very relevant to the situation, and it is more reliable and safer to base yourself on your own overseas bases. Tan Jia, who used to work in the Navy Logistics Department, introduced.
Tan Jia participated in the design and experience the construction and use of our support base in Djibouti, and has been working here for two years. He said, "The support of escort bases will help the ship formation better respond to a variety of security threats and complete diversified military tasks." ”
Nowadays, the use of support bases has enabled the escort support to develop from the previous mode of providing support mainly with supply ships accompanied by foreign ports and supplemented by foreign port supplies to a new model of providing support for overseas bases and supplemented by other foreign ports and domestic support, and the conditions for escort base support are becoming more and more mature.
Mature and high-quality support brings home-like comfort to the officers and men of the escort service. In September this year, on the way to the Gulf of Aden, the 45th batch of escort squadrons set sail for the Gulf of Aden, the child of Zhang Shilong, a second-class sergeant of the special operations detachment, was born, and the formation immediately arranged for him to have a video connection with his family. Looking at his safe and healthy wife and children on the screen, Zhang Shilong burst into tears.
Taking into account the five-hour time difference between the Gulf of Aden and China, the officers and men can keep in touch with their families at any time in the "Thousand Islands Talk Kiosk" of the Qiandao Lake warship, and keep abreast of current affairs in the world at any time on board the ship through the Internet.
From youthful apprehension to self-confidence and calmness: talents are quenched in the wind and waves
On the evening of October 25, Hamad Port in Doha, Qatar, was brightly lit.
At the deck reception held by the 44th Escort Squadron of the Navy, which was visiting here, and seeing the lieutenant officer Deng Xiaotian and the foreign officers in front of him talking eloquently and confidently in English, Fang Sihang, a major in the mechanical and electrical department, drifted back to 10 years ago.
10 years ago, Fang Sihang, with the rank of lieutenant, was fortunate to participate in the 17th batch of escort formations. At that time, like Deng Xiaotian, he had just graduated and was assigned to the ship, and he participated in a major ocean-going mission for the first time, and he was still a little shy in communicating with foreign troops. Today, Fang Sihang has become an expert in the front-line political work of the Navy, and his professional ability and international literacy have been greatly improved.
For Fang Sihang personally, the lieutenant and major, who were separated by 10 years, went from being young and apprehensive to confident and calm, and it was the two escorts that allowed him to complete the transformation.
When Fang Sihang visited the ships of the Qatari Navy, he briefed them on the historical origin of the political commissar system of the Chinese armed forces and the responsibilities of political cadres. He also worked part-time in the propaganda work of this formation, often interviewing foreign soldiers and local people face-to-face.
For Fang Sihang and Deng Xiaotian, the difference in international literacy between the two lieutenants who are separated by 10 years reflects the shorter and shorter talent growth cycle brought about by the 15-year normalized continuous escort, the more scientific and efficient model, and the shorter and shorter talent growth cycle.
In the ups and downs of history, the growth and transformation of individuals is the epitome of the growth of a group of people.
The navy selects and dispatches military and political officers and cadres of combat units on a merit-based basis, and cross-theater navies and cross-specialized professional and technical personnel are selected to escort the convoys, and various groups of escort formations have also successively explored the establishment of various systems and regulations, so that these personnel can broaden their horizons in international waters, where warships of many countries are gathered, piracy activities are rampant, and the environment is extremely complex, and they can experience courage, increase their abilities, and develop in an all-round way in participating in decision-making, command, and handling emergencies, so as to further enhance their ability to lead their troops in carrying out diversified military tasks. Today, a large number of officers with escort experience have taken up middle and senior leadership positions.
In 2009, Ma Liang was a lieutenant officer on the Xuzhou ship when he first escorted the ship. The first time he went abroad, he learned and made progress as he worked, shouting nervously to dozens of merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden, and organizing them to sail in formation.
After 5 escort trips, 15 country visits, more than 10 major training missions, and studying abroad, Ma Liang has become a confident and calm captain of the navy of a major country. He docked smoothly with escorted merchant ships in the Gulf of Aden, and confidently communicated with foreign warships and aircraft in the open seas......
"If I hadn't come to escort, I might have been a captain in China, but I didn't have such a broad vision and rich experience. Talking about the escort feelings, Ma Liang said with emotion, "Nothing is achieved by opening up the second pulse of Ren Du and then realizing it all at once, it is all broken out step by step in the wind and waves." ”
Zhu Wenliang, a first-class sergeant major of the Qiandao Lake ship, participated in eight batches of escort ships and visited more than 40 countries with the ship. In order to better adapt to the international stage, he only had a junior high school degree before enlisting in the army, and obtained a bachelor's degree from Zhejiang University, and during the visit, he was able to explain the development process of the Chinese Navy to foreign friends in fluent English, and was awarded a second-class meritorious service for his outstanding performance in escort.
Through the quenching experience on the cusp of the Gulf of Aden, a large number of outstanding young officers and men have grown up rapidly. Batches of ship captains and political commissars have increased their ability to command the far seas; carrier-based helicopter pilots have sharpened their "wings" for flying high, the commanders of naval departments have become reserve candidates for naval ship captains, and the personnel of the organs who have gone to sea with the ships have carried out research on topics, and the scientific research personnel of the institutes and institutes have also reaped the results of scientific research.
Source: China Youth Daily
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