East Sea Fleet
 | This article needs to beupdated.(July 2018) |
| Eastern Theater Command Navy | |
|---|---|
 The People's Liberation Army Navy's jack and ensign | |
| Active | 1955–present |
| Country | China |
| Allegiance | Chinese Communist Party |
| Branch | People's Liberation Army Navy |
| Type | Naval fleet |
| Part of | Eastern Theater Command |
| Garrison/HQ | Ningbo,China |
| Commanders | |
| Current commander | Wei Gang |
TheEastern Theater Command Navy(ETCN), or theEast Sea Fleet(ESF) before February 2018, is a formation ofChina'sPeople's Liberation Army Navy(PLAN) and the naval component of theEastern Theater Command.[1]
History
[edit]The PLAN was formed toward the end of theChinese Civil War.In March 1949,Zhang Aipingof theThird Field Armywas ordered by theCentral Military Commission(CMC) of theChinese Communist Partyto create a naval force from the field army. Zhang's only previous naval experience was organizing an irregular riverine force nearHongze Lakein 1941 and leading it in a successful campaign against local bandits.[2]The PLAN was created on 21 April when Zhang established the East China Military Region Navy, or East China Navy (ECN), with a thirteen-member headquarters,[3]and he was formally appointed by the CMC as the ECN's commander and commissar on 4 May.[4]The ECN was reinforced by personnel from the Third Field Army,[3]which would also dominate its and the later ESF's leadership,[5]but its early operational capabilities were based on personnel andmaterielcaptured or recruited from the retreatingRepublic of China(ROC). The latter included Lin Zun, who defected with theROC Navy's Second Squadron and became the ECN's, and later the ESF's, deputy commander. The ECN's First Flotilla was formed in early May atZhen gian g.The headquarters moved toShanghaion 27 May. By late-June, the ECN was responsible for operational and naval industrial activities along theEast China Seacoastline, and theYangtzeup toJiu gian g.[6]
Yuan Yelie became ECN commander in February 1951.[5]The ECN became the ESF in 1955.[7][5]
Components
[edit]ETCN headquarters is atNingbo,with additional bases inFu gianandZhoushan.It controls coastal defenses fromLianyungangtoDongshan County.[8]
In 2017, subunits included:
- 3rd DestroyerZhidui[note 1][10]
- 6th DestroyerZhidui[10]
- 8th FrigateDadui[note 2][10]
- 21st FastboatZhidui[10]
- 22nd SubmarineZhidui[10]
- 42nd SubmarineZhidui[10]
- 2nd Combat Support ShipZhidui[10]
- 4th Air Division[10]
- 6th Air Division[10]
- 1st Flying Panther Regiment[10]
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Citations
[edit]- ^Saunders et al. 2019,pp. 240–241.
- ^Yoshihara 2022,pp. 25–26.
- ^abYoshihara 2022,p. 27.
- ^Yoshihara 2022,p. 28.
- ^abcYoshihara 2022,p. 131.
- ^Yoshihara 2022,pp. 28–30.
- ^Yoshihara 2022,p. 55.
- ^The International Institute for Strategic Studies 2024,p. 261.
- ^abPollpeter & Allen 2012,p. 52.
- ^abcdefghijWood, Peter (14 March 2017)."Snapshot: China's Eastern Theater Command".Jamestown Foundation.Retrieved10 May2024.
Sources
[edit]- The International Institute for Strategic Studies (13 February 2024).The Military Balance 2024.London: Routledge.ISBN978-1-032-78004-7.
- Pollpeter, Kevin; Allen, Kenneth W., eds. (14 June 2012).The PLA as Organization v2.0(Report). China Aerospace Studies Institute.
- Saunders, Phillip C.; Ding, Arthur S.; Scobell, Andrew; Yang, Andrew N.D.; Joel, Wuthnow, eds. (2019).Chairman Xi Remakes the PLA: Assessing Chinese Military Reforms.Washington, D.C.: National Defense University Press.ISBN978-1070233420.
- Yoshihara, Toshi (2022).Mao's Army Goes To Sea: The Island Campaigns and the Founding of China's Navy.Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press.ISBN9781647122829.
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