major modification of the ship is needed. Designers notified the Directorate of Communication of Chinese naval headquarter on November 12, 1971, and on March 19, 1972, Chinese naval headquarter notified the 7th Academy accordingly. On December 6, 1972, review of the design of Type 992II was completed, and additional requirement for further upgrade was issued, which was subsequently completed on July 10, 1973. In 1974, there was a change in priority because after more than two years of negotiation with Japan to purchase a cable layer for Xisha Islands, the deal was cancelled because the price tag of 25.6 million US dollars was too expensive and the 30 months it takes to complete was too simply slow. In addition, Ministry of Postal and Telecom also urgently needed a cable layer in order to meet the deadline of laying cable between China and Japan by the beginning of 1976. As a result, the first unit of Type 992II class was reassigned to civilian use for Ministry of Postal and Telecom, with further major modifications. The first ship of Type 991II class cable layer was laid down in 1975 and entered service in the same year. In June, 1977, the first Type 991II class cable layer for Chinese navy entered service and when program completed in 1983, a total of 6 completed. The ship received NATO reporting name as Youdian class (邮电, meaning postal and telecom in Chinese). Specification: Overall length (m): 71.55 Length between perpendiculars (m): 66 Waterline (m): 63 Beam (m): 10.5 Depth (m): 5.2 Full load draft (m): 3.6 Full load displacement (t): 1327 Speed (k): 14 Engine: 2 x 809 kW (1100 hp) Cable payload: 400 t Ships All ships of Type 991 series cable layer are still active in the early 2010s after numerous upgrades, the latest which enables them to handle fiber optic cables (though their pennant numbers have changed due to the change of Chinese naval ships naming convention). References Auxiliary ships of the People's Liberation Army Navy