Daguan-class barracks ship

Daguan (大管, meaning Big Butler) class ship is a barracks ship of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN).[2] The exact type of this class remains unknown because China has not released any information on the type designation of this class, and this class is hence referred by its NATO reporting name assigned by NATO.[3][4][5][6] The first unit has been frequently but unofficially referred by domestic Chinese media as Xu Xiake (88) (Chinese: 徐霞客), named after ancient Chinese geographer Xu Xiake, but its official name is actually Go ahead No 1 (Xiang-Qian-Jin-Yi-Hao, 向前进一号). In addition to being a barracks ship, this class is also equipped to function as a training ship.[7]

History
China
Name	Xu Xiake or Go ahead No 1
Namesake	Xu Xiake
Builder	433rd Factory, China State Shipbuilding Corporation
Commissioned	2011
In service	2011 & 2018
Status	in active service, as of 2014
General characteristics [1]
Type	Barracks ship/Training ship/Troop 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
Aviation facilities	helipad

The first unit of this class 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 Daguan class 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.[2] The ship is designed to support 2,500 people for three weeks at sea before needing resupply.[1]

When not operating as a barracks ship, Daguan class can also be deployed as training ships, and when necessary, deployed as troopships to evacuate oversea Chinese from flashpoints. The ship can be armed with 25 mm or 37 mm small caliber guns.[1] A total of two ships were built, the first entering service in 2011 and the second entering service in 2018, with pennant numbers 88 and 89 respectively.[2]