Chinese barracks ship Xu Xiake

Xu Xiake (88) (Chinese: 徐霞客) is a barracks ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN). She was constructed by the 433rd Factory of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC), also known as the Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI, 广州广船国际股份有限公司). Built as part of the Project 048 aircraft carrier program, the primary task of Xu Xiake is to provide accommodation for staff working on aircraft carrier trials so that staff can remain on station to continue trials the following day, instead of returning to port and going out for the next trial, thus greatly shortening the time required. The ship is designed to support 2,500 people for three weeks at sea before needing resupply.[1]

History
China
Name:	Xu Xiake
Namesake:	Xu Xiake
Builder:	433rd Factory, China State Shipbuilding Corporation
Commissioned:	2011
Status:	in active service, as of 2014
General characteristics [1]
Type:	Barracks ship
Displacement:	23,000 t (23,000 long tons; 25,000 short tons) standard 30,000 t (30,000 long tons; 33,000 short tons) full load
Length:	196 m (643 ft 1 in)
Beam:	28 m (91 ft 10 in)
Draught:	8 m (26 ft 3 in)
Propulsion:	2 × marine diesel engines, 7,200 hp (5,369 kW) 2 shafts
Speed:	20 knots (37 km/h; 23 mph)
Range:	8,000 nmi (15,000 km; 9,200 mi)
Endurance:	30 days
Armament:	25 mm (0.98 in) or 37 mm (1.5 in) guns
Aircraft carried:	1 × Changhe Z-8 helicopter

When not operating as a barracks ship, Xu Xiake can also be deployed as a training ship, and when necessary, deployed as troopship to evacuate oversea Chinese from flashpoints. The ship can be armed with 25 mm or 37 mm small caliber guns.[1]

References

1. "88 徐霞客号" [No. 88 Xu Xiake]. haijun360.com (in Chinese). 2013. Archived from the original on 28 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.