Ruijin-class armed merchantman
[[File:US Naval Jack 46 stars.svg]]
{{refimprove|date=May 2015}}
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country=USA
|Ship flag= [[Image:US Naval Jack 46 stars.svg|48px|Union Navy Jack]] {{USN flag|1945}}
|Ship completed=During [[World War II]]
|Ship acquired= During [[World War II]]
|Ship commissioned= During [[World War II]]
|Ship decommissioned= After [[World War II]]
|Ship in service= [[World War II]]
|Ship out of service= After [[World War II]]
|Ship fate=Sold to [[China Merchants Steam Navigation Company|Yang Ming Marine Transport Corporation]] after [[World War II]]
}}
{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country={{nowrap|Republic of China}}
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|Republic of China|naval}}
| Ship name = See main text
| Ship namesake = See main text
| Ship acquired = After [[World War II]]
| Ship fate = Converted to [[armed merchantman]] by [[People's Liberation Army Navy|PLAN]]
| Ship struck =
| Ship honors =
| Ship notes =
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{{Infobox ship career
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|Ship country={{nowrap|China}}
|Ship flag={{shipboxflag|China|naval}}
| Ship name = See main text
| Ship namesake = After Chinese cities
| Ship acquired = early 1950s
| Ship fate = scrapped in 1960s
| Ship struck =
| Ship honors =
| Ship notes =
}}
{{Infobox ship characteristics
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|Header caption=
|Ship type= [[Armed merchantman]]
|Ship displacement= {{convert|560|LT|t|abbr=on}}
|Ship length={{convert|180|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship beam={{convert|33|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship draught={{convert|10|ft|m|abbr=on}}
|Ship propulsion= {{convert|500|hp|abbr=on}} from 2 [[General Motors]] [[Cleveland]] Division 6-278A 6-cyl V6 [[diesel engine]]s x 2
|Ship speed= {{convert|12|kn|mph km/h|lk=in}}
|Ship range=
|Ship complement= 100+
|Ship armament=*1 × [[M101 howitzer]]
*2 or 3 × [[3″/50 caliber gun]]s
*2 × twin [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43]] guns
*4 × twin [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun]]s
|Ship armour=
|Ship notes=
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{{chinesetext}}
[[Ruijin]] class [[armed merchantman]] is a class of Chinese armed merchantmen of the [[People's Liberation Army Navy]] (PLAN) in its infancy, and participated in several battles against ships of the [[Republic of China Navy]] (ROCN) in the early 1950s. These ships are also frequently referred to as [[gunboat]]s by Chinese.
At its infancy, when first established in 1950, PLAN severely lacked large warships needed to defend the coastal regions which had been taken from the [[Republic of China]] at the end of [[Chinese Civil War]]. To meet the urgent need, a decision was made to strengthen the newly established PLAN with armed merchantmen by converting some of the cargo ships in good condition.<ref name=Ruijin>{{cite web| url=http://60-250-180-26.hinet-ip.hinet.net/pla/5741/5316.html | title=Ruijin class armed merchantman | accessdate=May 11, 2015 }}</ref> A total of six cargo ships from [[China Merchants Group|China Merchants Steam Navigation Company]] were selected for the conversion, all of which were American coastal freighter from the [[World War II]] era. These ships were sold to China Merchants Steam Navigation Company after the war. They are Design 427 (officially Vessel, Supply, Aircraft Repair, Diesel, Steel, 180') light cargo ships (AKL). All ships were assigned to the Eastern China Military Region Navy (ECMRN, 华东军区海军), the predecessor of [[East Sea Fleet]].
The main armament of Ruijin class consisted of either three [[3″/50 caliber gun]]s, or two [[3″/50 caliber gun]]s and a [[M101 howitzer]]. It’s worthy of note that most of the US 3" guns are not those left behind by ROCN when they retreated from mainland China, but instead, they were transferred to China from the former [[Soviet Union]], who received them from the US during World War II. Because PLAN had already been using US 3" guns captured during the [[Chinese Civil War]], the same guns in Soviet hands were provided to simplify logistics. The secondary armament of Ruijin class consisted of Japanese and German guns [[Communist Party of China|Chinese communist force]] during the Chinese Civil War, including a pair of twin [[3.7 cm Flak 18/36/37/43]] guns, and two pairs of twin [[Type 96 25 mm AT/AA Gun]]s. The lead ship of this class was lost to aerial attack by four [[ROCAF]] [[P-47]]s on May 18, 1954, and the rest of this class retired in the 1960s as domestically Chinese built [[frigate]]s entered PLAN service.<ref name=Ruijin/>
{| class="toccolours" border="1" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="2" style="margin:left; border-collapse:collapse;"
|- style="background:#079;"
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> PLAN name '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> ROCN name '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> Launched '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> Commissioned '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> Retired '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> Status '''
|'''<span style="color:#fff;"> Fleet '''
|-
| [[Ruijin]]
| Jiangtong (江通)
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| May 18, 1954
| Sunk
| ECMRN
|-
| [[Xingguo]]
| Jiangda (江达)
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| 1960s
| Scrapped
| ECMRN
|-
| [[Zunyi]]
| [[Dezhou]]
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| 1960s
| Scrapped
| ECMRN
|-
| [[Handan]]
| [[Matthiola incana|Hoary stock flower]]
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| 1960s
| Scrapped
| ECMRN
|-
| [[Huaiyang]]
| Golden fragrant flower
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| 1960s
| Scrapped
| ECMRN
|-
| [[Yancheng]]
| [[Clove]] flower
| Early 1950s
| Early 1950s
| 1960s
| Scrapped
| ECMRN
|}
==See also==
* [[People's Liberation Army Navy]]
* [[People's Liberation Army Navy Surface Force]]
* [[Naval history of China]]
==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Ship classes of the Chinese Navy|state=expanded}}
[[Category:Gunboats of the People's Liberation Army Navy]]
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{{China-mil-stub}}