The Type 918 Wolei-class minelayer is the sole
minelayer
A minelayer is any warship, submarine, military aircraft or land vehicle deploying explosive mines. Since World War I the term "minelayer" refers specifically to a naval ship used for deploying naval mines. "Mine planting" was the term for ins ...
in the
People's Liberation Army Navy
The People's Liberation Army Navy, also known as the People's Navy, PLA Navy or simply Chinese Navy, is the naval warfare military branch, branch of the People's Liberation Army, the national military of the People's Republic of China. It i ...
, numbered 814.
The ship was designed by the 708 Institute in 1981, with Mr. Ma Jinghua (馬錦華) as the general designer. All of the onboard subsystems were completed in 1984. Dalian Shipyard begin construction of the ship in 1984 and completed it in 1988. Although successful, no more minelayers of this type were ordered because most other naval vessels in the PLAN inventory were also capable of laying mines. This class, however, does have advantage over other platforms in that it can lay conformal mines, i.e. mines with irregular shapes instead of the ordinary cylindrical and spherical shapes, and conformal mines are much harder to detect and identify. The mine laying process is fully computerized and both the hardware and software have been upgraded to accommodate new weapons and tactics. In addition to laying mines, the ship is also extensively equipped for use as a supply ship, and has been deployed in supply missions much more frequently than as a minelayer.
References
Wolei class
Mine warfare vessel classes
Minelayers of the People's Liberation Army Navy
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