The nuclear submarine depicts on this postcard is the CHANGZHENG 6.
1978 Laid down on the Huludao Shipyard.
30 April 1981 launched under the name CHANGZHENG 6 (long march).
Displacement of 6.500 tons when dived. Dim. 120 x 10 x 8m (draught).
Powered nuclear, turbo-electric, 1 PWR, 90 MW, 2 shafts, speed 22 knots when dived.
Armament 12 JL-1 (Ju Lang) SLBM’s intertial guidance to 2.150 km., single nuclear warhead 250 kT.
Torpedoes, six 533 mm bow tubes; Yu-3 (set-65E) active/passive homing to 15 km. At 40 knots; warhead 205 kg.
Crew 140.
1987 Commissioned.
The PLA official Designation: Type 092. NATO code name: Xia Class.
The type 092 (Xia Class) is China’s first and only ballistic missile nuclear submarine (SSBN) derived from the type 091 (Han-Class), with the hull lengthened to accommodate the twelve missiles tubes.
The first ship CHANGZHENG 6 (406) was launched in 1981, and became operational in 1983, though the JL-1 missile did not conduct a successful fire test launch until 1988 due to problems with its fire control system. A second ship was reportedly constructed and later was lost in an accident in 1985.
The first test launch of the JL-1 submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLMB) took place on the 30th April 1984 from a submerged pontoon near Huludao.
A second missile launched on 12 April 1982 from a Golf Class diesel trial submarine. The first launch from a Type 092 was in 1985 and was unsuccessful, delaying the final acceptance into the service of this submarine. It was not until 27th September 1988 that a satisfactory launch took place.
Currently, the only ship 406 is deployed in the PLAN North Sea Fleet based at Qingdao Navy Base. It started a major modernization upgrade in late 1995 at Huludao Shipyard and the program completed in 2001. The upgrades reportedly include replacing the original JL-1 missile with the improved JL-1A, which has an extended range of 3.000-4.000 km.
Operations have been limited and the Type 092 has never sailed beyond Chinese regional waters. Despite the potential for operations in the Pacific Ocean, capabilities would be very limited against modern Western or Russian capabilities.
Togo 2019 800f sg?, scott?