After the tragic loss of a conventional submarine and almost of its crew during an exercise in 1959, the PLA Navy decided to develop the Type 922 (NATO codename: Zhonghua class) submarine salvage ship and the Type 930 (NATO codename: Hudong class) submarine rescue ship to support its submarine fleet.
In 1963, Shanghai-based Zhonghua Shipyard converted a 3,400t-class cargo ship into the Type 922 submarine salvage ship. The modification project began in 1963 and the conversion was completed in 1965. The ship began sea trial in July 1966 and the ship was commissioned by the North Sea Fleet in December 1966. The ship’s hull number was originally Haijiu 403, and later changed to J403 and Beijiu 403.
