Lead ship of China's second-generation guided-missile destroyers retires

QINGDAO -- The Harbin, the first second-generation domestically built guided-missile destroyer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy, was decommissioned on Friday in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province, after more than 30 years of service.

Commissioned in 1994, the vessel was the lead ship of the Type 052 guided-missile destroyer class. Over the decades, it participated in more than 100 major training exercises and operational missions and sailed over 400,000 nautical miles.

In 1997, the destroyer joined a Chinese naval task group on a landmark voyage to four countries in the Americas, marking the first trans-Pacific voyage and first visit to the continental Americas by Chinese naval vessels.

In 2013, during the Chinese Navy's 14th escort mission, sailors from the ship took part in Seychelles' Independence Day parade, the first time Chinese naval sailors had participated in a foreign national-day parade as an organized formation.

During its service, the Harbin visited 22 ports in 20 countries and took part in 17 joint exercises with foreign navies.

After decommissioning, it will be berthed in Changsha city, Central China's Hunan province, as a public site for national defense education.