China unveiled its largest and most advanced amphibious assault ship on Friday in Shanghai, naming it after the southwestern province of Sichuan.

12月27日，中国最大、最先进的两栖攻击舰在上海亮相，并以中国西南部省份四川命名。

With a hull code of 51, the CNS Sichuan is the first in the Type 076 class and is being built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co Ltd, a Shanghai-based subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corp, the nation's dominant naval hardware contractor.

该舰舷号51，是中国076型两栖攻击舰首舰，由中国船舶集团有限公司上海子公司沪东中华造船集团建造。中国船舶集团是中国海军装备的主要承包商。

According to the People's Liberation Army Navy, the ship will displace more than 40,000 metric tons of water and will carry fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters and amphibious landing craft.

据中国人民解放军海军消息，“四川舰”满载排水量4万余吨，可搭载固定翼飞机、直升机和两栖登陆艇。

It has a two-island superstructure configuration, a design that has never been used on any other Chinese ships and is apparently aimed to better facilitate aviation operations, a full-length flight deck, and an electromagnetic launch system, or electromagnetic catapult, which will be used to launch fixed-wing aircraft, the PLA Navy said in a news release.

中国人民解放军海军在新闻稿中表示，该舰设置了双舰岛式上层建筑以更好地进行航空作业，此设计在中国舰艇中尚属首次。该舰还配备有全纵通飞行甲板和电磁弹射系统（或称电磁弹射器），用于发射固定翼飞机。

After a brief launch ceremony on Friday morning at Hudong-Zhonghua, water began to be pumped into a dry dock in which the ship's hull was built.

12月27日上午，“四川舰”在沪东中华造船厂举行了简短的下水命名仪式。随后四川舰的干船坞开始注水。

Participants in the ceremony—leaders from the Navy and the Sichuan provincial government, executives of China State Shipbuilding Corp, and some of the vessel's designers and construction workers—applauded as they watched the launch process.

海军领导、四川省政府领导、中国船舶集团高管、四川舰部分设计人员及建造工人等参加下水命名仪式。他们观看了四川舰下水过程，并报以热烈掌声。

In shipbuilding terminology, the launch refers to the process during which a nearly finished ship is moved into the water. It is one of the most important stages in a ship's construction because once a ship is launched, it means that its major structures have been readied and the major work of the entire construction project has been completed.

在造船术语中，“下水”是指一艘接近完工的舰船被移入水中的过程。这是舰船建造过程中最重要的阶段之一，因为一旦舰船下水，就意味着其主要结构已经准备就绪，整个建造项目的主要工作也已完成。

The Navy added that in the next phase, engineers will start outfitting and fine-tuning the vessel's equipment and then conduct mooring tests and sea trials.

海军补充道，下一阶段工程师们将开展设备调试、系泊试验、航行试验等工作。

According to a senior researcher in China's shipbuilding industry who wished not to be identified, the twin island superstructures, full-length flight deck and electromagnetic catapult will give the Type 076 unique advantages.

一位不愿透露姓名的中国造船业高级研究员表示，双舰岛式上层建筑、全纵通飞行甲板和电磁弹射器将为076型舰带来独特优势。

"The use of the twin-island superstructure configuration is intended to optimize the layout of the ship's propulsion system, and will consequently create more usable space on it," he explained.

他解释说：“采用双岛式上层建筑配置旨在优化舰船动力系统布局，从而为其创造更多可用空间。”

The large flight deck, together with the vessel's big internal hanger, will allow for carrying a great number of troops and hardware, enabling the Type 076 to conduct various kinds of tasks, according to the researcher.

他表示，宽大的飞行甲板加上舰船内部的大型机库，将使076型舰能够搭载大量人员和装备，执行各种任务。

Furthermore, he noted that the Type 076 is the second naval ship class in China to be equipped with an electromagnetic catapult, following the CNS Fujian, China's third and largest aircraft carrier.

此外，他还指出，076型舰是继中国第三艘也是最大的航空母舰“福建舰”之后，第二艘配备电磁弹射器的海军舰艇。

"The electromagnetic catapult will, like the Navy said in its release, be used to launch fixed-wing planes. It is highly likely that the ship will carry large combat drones and act like a 'lightweight aircraft carrier'," he said.

他说：“正如海军在新闻稿中所说，电磁弹射器将用于发射固定翼飞机。该舰很可能搭载大型无人战斗机，充当‘轻型航母’的角色。”

The CNS Fujian was also constructed in Shanghai, at the Jiangnan Shipyard. It has completed five sea trials and is expected to be commissioned in the near future.

福建舰由同样位于上海的江南造船厂建造，已完成五次海上试航，预计近期将交付服役。

Currently, the PLA operates three Type 075 amphibious assault ships, which were named after Hainan province, the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region and Anhui province.

目前，中国人民解放军已有三艘075型两栖攻击舰服役，分别以海南省、广西壮族自治区和安徽省命名。

All of the Type 075s were built at Hudong-Zhonghua. The model has a full displacement of nearly 40,000 tons and can carry several helicopters and landing craft, as well as dozens of tanks and armored vehicles.

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