At the end of 2013, China’s first aircraft carrier, the Liaoning, sailed to the South China Sea for training exercises. PLA Navy Daily correspondent Liu Wenping, who served in the navy for more than three decades, was on board and wrote this first-hand account of life on the Liaoning for China Armed Forces.
Going South
On the morning of Nov. 26, 2013, I boarded the floating island of the Liaoning in a bitterly cold wind. Shortly after, the sun was shining on the carrier’s wide flight deck. It was a day of celebration, when China’s first aircraft carrier would depart the Qingdao military port and set off for training exercises in the South China Sea. The officer on duty sent the order to cast off at 7:30 a.m., and the Liaoning headed into the waves, accompanied by destroyers Shenyang and Shijiazhuang and frigates Yantai and Weifang.
Since its delivery to the navy on Sept. 25, 2012, the Liaoning has continuously conducted tests and drills, such as arrested landings, ramp takeoffs, carrier-based aircraft maintenance, and short-field takeoffs. It has also completed maximum takeoff weight tests and extensive takeoff exercises in complicated weather conditions. What was purpose of the South China Sea exercise? Officers said it was aimed at developing the ship’s supply and combat capabilities and exploring effective training methods in different seas, environments and conditions. The hot, high-sodium and humid conditions in the South China Sea would be new challenges to all units and combat posts during intensive exercises over a long period.
Before training officially commenced, new issues arose. After the Liaoning’s departure from Qingdao, suspicious fishing boats were frequently seen nearby. Foreign warships and aircraft also closely reconnoitered the Liaoning. These circumstances had kept the crew on high alert.
On the afternoon of Nov. 27, 2013, the Liaoning entered the Taiwan Strait. It was the vessel’s first entry into the strait since it had been commissioned. A cold front had arrived, bringing gales that churned waves up to four meters high. When evening came, the carrier’s lights were out, though in the dark pilothouse, radar screens flickered and the brisk tapping of keyboards was heard as the crew collated information. The carrier continued south. Early the next morning, the Liaoning and its accompanying fleet reached the South China Sea and headed to the area designated for the tests and exercises.
