The weirdest theme park ever; Binhai Aircraft Carrier Theme Park

[nuuumannn]

The Chinese love an odd theme park, see Oriental Land near Shanghai. This one, located on the shore of the Bohai Sea a quick bullet train ride from Beijing (50 minutes at 300 kph) is perhaps the bizarrest, celebrating Russian culture with a former Soviet Navy aircraft carrier as its centrepiece.

 

Binhai 11

Shenyang J-6s in various states of decay are dotted about the place, decorated in faux Soviet markings.

 

Binhai 13

Shenyang JJ-6s are not common display aircraft, so it was good to see this one. Based on the MiG-19, the original manufacturer did not build a two-seat variant; the JJ-6 is indigenous to China.

 

Kiev 2

Entry to the ship is through the torpedo tube bay.

 

Kiev 15

The magazine for storage of the P-500 cruise missiles that serve as the ship's main armament.

 

Kiev 17

The hangar deck is occupied by models of aircraft that never served with the Soviet Navy, including this J-10 full scale mock-up sitting below the deck level lift.

 

Kiev 76

The air movements controller's cupola.

 

Kiev 77

Five Nanchang Q-5s and a Yak-38 mock up on the flight deck. Hangar deck lift at bottom right.

 

Kiev 38

The Yak-38 mock-up. Despite being nowhere near as capable as a Harrier, the Yak-38/Kiev Class combination gave the Soviet Navy a blue water fixed wing air element for the first time. Around 12 to 13 Yaks were operated from each ship, being originally intended for vertical take off operations, but rolling take offs became standard to increase the aircrafts' load carrying capability.

 

Kiev 53

Helicopter landing points on the after flight deck and a Mil-8 stand-in for the Ka-25s. Classified as aircraft carrying heavy cruisers, the Project 1143 ships were primarily anti-submarine/anti-shipping strike warfare vessels, equipped with guided missiles as their main armament and impressive active/passive sonar equipment fit.

 

Horse Jaw

I had no idea what this was until I got home; the text board in Chinese giving the only clue; "Horse Jaw". This is the sonar unit fitted into the ship's bulbous bow.

 

Kiev 87

The Kiev and her sisters were formidably armed; cruise missile launch tubes, SAM and ASM launchers visible.

 

Kiev 101

Retired from service in 1993, the Kiev was bought by a Chinese entertainment consortium with the intent of creating a floating hotel, but with only a few rooms converted, it has yet to officially open to paying guests. The 'theme park' was opened in 2004 and despite much of the interior being gutted to facilitate the 'hotel', the ship still looks impressive from the outside.

 

Link to photographs: https://www.flickr.com/photos/147661871@N04/albums/72157695139636851/with/40333574150/

 

 

 

[Gorby]

That is weird, but quite fascinating so thanks for taking the time posting the photos. 

[Martian]

I'm not so sure about weird but it certainly looks like one of the coolest theme parks ever!

 

Impressed of Mars 👽

[pigsty]

Fascinating indeed.  But if you think that lot looks odd on a carrier, you should see the USS Intrepid.

[Red Dot]

Nice set of pictures. Some very rare aircraft in the line-up

 

thanks

andy

 

[F-32]

You mean the space shuttle never served operationally on the Intrepid?!

[nuuumannn]

Quote

You mean the space shuttle never served operationally on the Intrepid?

Illusions shattered, watching the A-12 get off the deck'd be hairy... 

 

It's not the aircraft or the carrier that makes Binhai odd, it's the faux Russian kitsch, the big Matrushka dolls, the Ukrainian girls behind the counter, (they all smiled diligently; I got talking to a few of them and they were very pleasant! I was the first New Zealander they had met!) the water show with the jetskis around the bow of the Kiev and so forth. What made it stranger was the fact that the place was almost empty, so made it all a little 'unsettling'. The ships were fascinating to see, but what I found disheartening was that inside, much of the Kiev had been gutted; the control rooms and magazines had been preserved, but walking along the corridors was like being inside a low ceilinged building. At times there was no sense you were on a ship at all. It felt like the Big Ship had had its soul ripped out in the name of commercialism. I don't think the 'hotel' has opened to paying guests, but I did get glimpse inside a suite. Some rooms had been emptied of everything, gib put up and model ships placed in display cases, not very good model ships either.

 

Nevertheless, being aboard the Kiev was something of a thrill. I remember ogling grainy pictures of those ships as a kid. Never did I ever think I'd get to go aboard one. On the flight deck looking back at the superstructure I had a 'pinch me' moment. When I went to look at the submarine and destroyer, I was told, non Chinese were not allowed aboard, but I could take photos. I had interesting discussions through my phone's translator app with a couple of the guards, armed military personnel, although just youngsters. They answered all my questions about the submarine and the destroyer and typical of most places I went to, were curious about me being in China. At the China Aviation Museum I had a dude give me a bag of apples after getting a selfie with me, I refused the bag of apples, as I didn't want to lug it about all day! At the tank museum, my military guide gave me a gourd, which I had to leave behind!

Edited May 22, 2018 by nuuumannn