Chronicle of the PLA NAVY

April 23, 1949

The marine force of the People's Liberation Army Eastern Command is established in Baimamiao township, Jiangsu province, becoming the PLA's first marine unit. In 1955, the force is renamed the East Sea Fleet. In 1989, April 23 is designated the PLA Navy's birthday.

Oct 1, 1949

One hundred Navy o?fficers, cadets and sailors march through Tian'anmen Square in Beijing in a parade during the founding ceremony of the People's Republic of China, marking the Navy's first public appearance.

November 1949

The Navy founds its first corvette unit, consisting of 20 ships in two groups, in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu. The unit is the cradle of all the Navy's surface combat forces.

Dec 15, 1949

The PLA Guangdong Command founds its marine unit in Guangzhou, the provincial capital. The unit is the predecessor of the South Sea Fleet, formed in 1955.

April 14, 1950

The Navy headquarters is set up in Beijing, with Xiao Jinguang as the force's commander in chief.

May 25, 1950

Sixteen small gunboats and landing craft from the marine unit under the PLA Guangdong Command engage tens of larger warships from the Kuomintang in the Battle of Lajiwei, sinking or damaging several enemy vessels. The battle marked the Navy's first combat engagement.

Sept 9, 1950

The Navy's Qingdao Base is established in Shandong province. The base is the predecessor of the North Sea Fleet, established in 1960.

December 1950

Work starts on blueprints of China's first domestically designed naval vessel — a type of 42-metric ton gunboat — at the Jiangnan Shipyard in Shanghai. Construction of two boats begins later the same month.