JUEJIN cargo vessel

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The cargo vessel on this stamp is the YUEJIN the first vessel built at 10,000 ton in communist China.
27 November 1958 laid down at the Dalian Shipyard in Dalian for th Chinese Government.
Launched as the YUEJIN.
Displacement 22.100 ton. Dim. 169.9 x 21.8 x 9.7m. (Full loaded.)
Cargo capacity 13,400 ton.
Powered by a steam turbine, 14,000 hp. Speed 18.5 knots service speed.
30 April 1963 completed.



The YUEJIN cargo ship was the first domestically-built 10,000-ton ocean-going cargo ship in New China. It was designed with the help of experts from the former Soviet Union and manufactured by Dalian Shipyard according to Soviet design drawings on November 27, 1958. On April 30, 1963, the YUEJIN embarked on its maiden voyage. On noon on May 1, 1963, it sailed to Japan for the first time and sank on Suyan Reef due to a run-off .
Built by Dalian Shipyard using the latest technology at the time, it is 169.9 meters long, has a cargo capacity of 13,400 tons, a displacement of 22,100 tons, and can break ice in frozen areas.
The construction of the YUEJIN began in September 1958. From the laying of the foundation on the slipway to the completion of the hull and launching, it took only 58 days. Its slipway cycle record was a world first and marked a leap forward in the level of China’s shipbuilding industry.
1.
On November 27, 1958, the 10,000-ton ocean-going freighter "YUEJIN" was completed and launched. Dalian Shipyard specially made a commemorative medal , made of gold-plated copper, red enamel, with a diameter of 3.2 cm. The upper sub-seal is cast with the theme text "Commemoration of the First 10,000-ton Ocean-going Ship". The middle of the main seal is the side view of the "YUEJIN" ocean-going freighter, which protrudes outside the seal, showing the magnificence of the giant ship. Its appearance design is very distinctive: the left side is in the shape of a gear; the right side is the ship's anchor chain, which represents the shipbuilding workers as a whole. The back is cast with the inscription "Presented by Dalian Shipyard" and the year when the ship was completed and launched "1958".
After the "YUEJIN" was completed and launched,major media outlets published articles cheering "the launch of China's first 10,000-ton ocean-going freighter", praising this great achievement of the socialist construction of New China. In order to publicize the gratifying achievements of the shipbuilding industry of New China, on December 15, 1960, the Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications issued a special stamp (No. 32, a full set of 1 stamp) "The First 10,000-ton Ocean-going Freighter Made in China". The stamp is based on blue, symbolizing the booming marine shipping industry of New China. The picture shows the front of the "YUEJIN" sailing in the sea against the wind and waves, with the word "YUEJIN" on the bow. This is the first set of special stamps printed by the Beijing Stamp Factory.
Mystery of the sinking

investigation
In the early morning of May 1, 1963, the first 10,000-ton large cargo ship built in New China, the "YUEJIN", departed from Qingdao Port , fully loaded with corn, and headed for Japan.
At about 14:00 in the afternoon , the phone in Zhou Enlai's office in the West Flower Hall of Zhongnanhai suddenly rang. After answering the call, Zhou Enlai's face was solemn. He learned that the "YUEJIN" suddenly sank in the high seas near China's Suyan Reef.
How did the YUEJIN sink? Before China began to investigate, Japan's "All Asia Broadcasting Station" had already "taken the lead" and released an explosive news on May 2, 1963: "The YUEJIN, China's first domestically-produced 10,000-ton ocean-going freighter, sank on its way to Japan after being hit by three torpedoes in the belly ..." The news that the YUEJIN was sunk by a torpedo quickly spread around the world. Many countries and regions responded.
But Beijing was very cautious and did not agree with this statement. In the early 1960s, international politics was turbulent. Before the truth of the incident was thoroughly investigated, hastily announcing the cause of the sinking would not only intensify international relations, but also possibly lead to war. Due to Beijing's temporary silence, the cause of the sinking of the YUEJIN became even more confusing. This incident became the world's top news for a while, and also became a mystery.
Late in the night of May 2, 1963, the crew of the "YUEJIN" gathered from Shanghai and flew to Beijing. Zhou Enlai met with the management personnel above the third mate and third engineer, and held discussions with them to understand the situation. Several managers mentioned that they heard a muffled "thump", as if the underwater part of the port side of the ship was "attacked by the enemy" and exploded. Others said that they saw a black shadow, "It must be a submarine, which escaped after launching a torpedo ." But the captain raised an objection: "We only heard a "thump", which doesn't sound like a torpedo explosion. In my opinion, it is most likely a reef."
Zhou Enlai pondered for a while, but did not draw a conclusion. He requested further investigation and asked the navy for help to find out the truth as soon as possible. According to Zhou Enlai's instructions, the East China Sea Fleet and the Shanghai Transportation Department dispatched 7 ships and vessels, and Shanghai dispatched 3 diving operation ships and salvage lifeboats. The fleet had 10 ships and 1,097 personnel, and the ships and personnel were basically ready. At 9 a.m. on May 18, 1963, the maritime fleet set sail from the Wusong Wharf in Shanghai, majestic and mighty. After more than 10 days of hard work, 72 people dived and explored, overcame many difficulties, and finally found out the exact location and exact cause of the sinking of the YUEJIN.
Divers found three holes, five dents and one fracture in the hull of the YUEJIN. The exploration of Suyan Reef showed that the reef had obvious signs of being hit, and there were many rock fragments around the impact site, of which eight were retrieved. Three divers saw purple-red paint on some of the reefs underwater. At the same time, the two welds where the three sections of the hull of the YUEJIN were joined were checked many times, and no damage or abnormal changes were found.
At this point, it was finally clear that the YUEJIN sank not because of a torpedo attack, but because it hit a reef. The Chinese government wanted to salvage the sunken ship. However, because the YUEJIN was insured by an international insurance company, the company was willing to pay the insurance money to buy two YUEJIN in order to settle the matter . In addition, the situation in the operation area was complicated, so Zhou Enlai decided not to salvage the sunken ship and the fleet withdrew immediately.
On the morning of June 2, 1963, the maritime fleet organized a final diving review, retrieved the "Yue Jin"'s navigation log, national flag and related data, packed up all equipment, and evacuated the operation area.
the truth
At the same time, Xinhua News Agency issued a telegram according to Zhou Enlai 's order:
Xinhua News Agency was ordered to issue a statement: In order to further investigate the real cause of the sinking of the YUEJIN, the Chinese Ministry of Transport sent an investigation fleet and ships assisted by the People's Liberation Army Navy . After 15 days of investigation in the waters around Suyan Reef , they found the sunken hull of the YUEJIN at 32'6" north latitude and 125'11'42" east longitude. After careful investigation, it has been confirmed that the YUEJIN sank due to a reef accident.
in conclusion
On May 2, 3, and 7, 1963, Zhou Enlai met with relevant personnel four times to discuss the sinking of the "YUEJIN" and demanded a thorough investigation to find out the truth as soon as possible. On May 12, he flew to Shanghai in the thick fog to organize an on-site investigation and said to the head of the naval fleet: "The sinking of the "YUEJIN" has become an international incident. For such a major event, I, as the prime minister, must take charge. You commanders and political commissars must also go to the front line and not just be hands-off managers. The main leading cadres must not only go to the front line, but also be good at grasping key issues and holding on to them. He proposed that for major issues, our main leading cadres must personally handle them, and this should become a rule.
After more than ten days of investigation, it was finally confirmed that the freighter had hit a reef and sank. But the incident itself left people with too much to think about. Just before and after the sinking of the freighter, a number of accidents occurred in the transportation department, causing many casualties and property losses. This series of accidents exposed serious problems in many aspects, such as the paralysis of thinking, rough work, and lack of responsibility of leaders at all levels from the Ministry of Transportation to its affiliated units.
On May 24, Zhou Enlai wrote a comment on the report of then Minister of Communications Wang Shoudao: "In a word, it is to follow the mass line under leadership. The leaders take the lead, and everyone works together to ensure safety. Get rid of official airs and establish a new atmosphere."
On May 29, Zhou Enlai gave a special report to the cadres of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, and told the more than 200 ministers present that the sinking of the YUEJIN cargo ship was the most profound lesson, and that it was due to the problem of bureaucracy. In his report, Zhou Enlai specifically brought up bureaucracy and dissected it.

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China 1960 8y sg 1965, Scott?