PLAN Type 072-III
by Chris King

1/700 PLAN Tuzhong Class Submarine Rescue and Salvage Vessel (Scratchbuild)

I made this model with plastic pieces from my spares box. Photo-etch parts were leftovers from several JAG kits. The deep-sea submersible on the stern came from a Takara-Pitroad kit.

This indigenous class of salvage/rescue tugs was built by the Shanghai-based Zhonghua Shipyard (now Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard) in the late 1970s for the PLA Navy. It is designated by NATO as the Tuzhong class. These are large, well-equipped ocean salvage tugs. Each ship has a large hydraulic crane aft, dive-support facilities, and high-pressure fire fighting hoses on the rear mast. Some references indicate that these ships may occasionally serve as ice-breakers.

Displacement (full load): 3,600 tons
Length: 84.9 m
Beam: 14 m
Draft: 5.5 m
Propulsion: 2 diesels, 2 shafts, 9,000 bhp
Speed: Max 20 knots
Crew: Approx. 60
Name Fleet Pennant number
Beituo North Sea 710
Dongtuo East Sea 830
Nantuo South Sea 154