First one! Tsinghua National Defense Student Becomes Shanghai Army Captain Zhang Meiyu | Full Ship | National Defense Student

Zhang Meiyu, the captain of the Hainan Navy ship. Since joining the military, he has always kept in mind his mission and responsibility of preparing for war. He has been fighting on the front line at sea all year round, wholeheartedly studying and planning for war, leading officers and soldiers to practice and train hard. He has participated in more than 30 major tasks such as escorting the Gulf of Aden, and has summarized more than 20 military research achievements, promoting the accelerated formation of new main warship combat capabilities. He was awarded the title of "the most beautiful revolutionary soldier of the new era" by the Propaganda Department of the CPC Central Committee and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission, and was awarded the title of "Escort exemplary individual" and "Excellent Staff Officer of the Navy". He has won second and third class honors once respectively.

The first Tsinghua national defense student to become the captain of a Shanghai warship

Captain Zhang Meiyu of the Hainan Navy Ship

When the reporter saw Zhang Meiyu, the captain of the Hainan ship, in a training room of the Navy in the Southern Theater Command, this excellent alumnus of Tsinghua University was patiently and meticulously explaining and demonstrating the operation of simulated ships to the visiting Tsinghua students. After the visit, Zhang Meiyu sighed and said that from the clear and longing eyes of his younger classmates, he seemed to see the self who had been longing for the sea and pursuing his dreams of the frontier more than 20 years ago.

Zhang Meiyu: I grew up in a rural area of Guizhou, which is an inland area where I can't see the sea. It was only after leaving the mountain village and attending university that I had the opportunity to see the sea. During my college years, I visited Liu Gong Island in Weihai, Shandong Province, visiting the exhibition hall of the China First Sino Japanese War Museum, and also visited the White Horse Temple in Taizhou, Jiangsu Province, which is the birthplace of the People's Liberation Army Navy. I have made it my dream to become a captain in the navy. When I graduated from graduate school, I was assigned to the South China Sea Fleet, which is now the Navy of the Southern Theater Command, and worked in a certain destroyer detachment. Among all the national defense students in Tsinghua University, I was the first to join the naval combat force and also the first graduate to become a captain of a Shanghai warship.

Carrying the dream of being a naval captain, in 2005, Zhang Meiyu, who excelled in both character and education, gave up her postgraduate recommendation from Tsinghua University and chose to pursue further studies at the Dalian Naval Academy. When he graduated from graduate school, he took the initiative to apply for training in the frontline combat forces and was assigned to serve as the deputy commander of the Navy Xiangfan ship. Despite years of absence, Zhang Meiyu still remembers the first time she went out to sea with a ship, when she vomited profusely due to seasickness.

Zhang Meiyu: That is a missile frigate with a displacement of only over 2000 tons. I remember it was early April, when the sea was windy and the waves were rough. We encountered big waves, and the over 2000 ton ship was in the waves, shaking like a solitary boat, very violently. Just two hours after going out to sea, I vomited four or five times, and in the end, all I vomited was bile.

Zhang Meiyu studied mechanical engineering during her undergraduate studies, and studied navigation during her graduate studies. However, after arriving at the Xiangfan ship, she worked in the field of observation and communication. Zhang Meiyu admitted that when she first stepped down from the army, she was wearing the aura of a highly educated academic achiever. It was only in her specific work that she realized she was actually an outsider and needed to start learning from scratch.

Zhang Meiyu: Our department is responsible for the lights, banners, and various wireless radio stations that you often see in movies. I haven't really been exposed to these before, so it's not difficult for me to learn from scratch. Because at that time, there were not as many equipment on ships as there are now, and many of the principles of the equipment were similar. For example, after you learned and understood the principle of a certain model of radio, I could also draw analogies and apply them to other types of equipment.

"The prime minister must rise from the state, and the fierce general must be sent to the soldiers" is a phrase often spoken by Zhang Meiyu. In order to achieve her dream of becoming a captain as soon as possible, Zhang Meiyu eagerly studied various professional knowledge, worked solidly in her job, and pursued her dreams step by step in the vast ocean.

Zhang Meiyu: If the foundation is not solid and every step is not solid, and if I become a captain later and have to take my own ship out to sea for training, it will definitely be terrifying. So, taking every step well, performing every position well, and learning every type of equipment well are the basic requirements for a qualified captain. Throughout my entire growth path as a captain, I still have a lot of assessments and training to complete.

Captain Zhang Meiyu of the Hainan Navy Ship is commanding the ship to carry out military training

After more than a decade of ups and downs, Zhang Meiyu fought against the wind and waves on the path of pursuing her dreams, growing rapidly. In October 2019, Zhang Meiyu became the acting captain of the new missile frigate Sanya. Later, he passed the captain's full training assessment and finally became the captain of the Shanghai Army. Zhang Meiyu recalled that when her former dream came true, the most genuine feeling was that the heavy responsibility lay on her shoulders and the pressure was like a mountain. For him, being a captain is not the end of his struggle, but a brand new starting point.

Zhang Meiyu: Captain, it is necessary to lead all the crew to victory. If the captain himself is not clear about tactical tactics and weapons and equipment, how dare he criticize and educate your crew. I may not necessarily be more proficient in operation than the crew, but I must understand the equipment from the perspective of the entire system of the ship, and I must have a more comprehensive and deeper understanding than those department cadres and squad leaders, so that I can command their training.

"Drive foreign warships out of our own waters"

Zhang Meiyu is giving lectures to the entire ship's cadres

With the belief of "training elite soldiers and seeking victory", Zhang Meiyu takes the lead in learning new knowledge, mastering new equipment, and developing new skills with unwavering enthusiasm. In order to break through the bottleneck of capabilities and cultivate versatile sailors, Zhang Meiyu and the political commissar formed a consensus of "suspending operations and preparing for war". By utilizing the gap between suspension maintenance and tasks, they led the entire ship's officers and soldiers to further study and research the equipment system one by one, resulting in a significant improvement in the equipment application level of the Sanya ship.

Zhang Meiyu: Every system on the ship has so many specialties and equipment. Everyone should ask themselves, have you learned to understand and operate it proficiently? That's not necessarily true. So during the easing period of the mission, we stopped equipping and preparing for battle, which means we stopped sailing and preparing. Let's review our training and learning.

After the training, Zhang Meiyu and the backbone summarized and reviewed

The mission drives people to strive forward, and dreams gather strength. Zhang Meiyu told reporters that in order to command a new type of warship, it is necessary to seek innovation and innovation, only in this way can the warship's combat effectiveness be stronger and its trajectory be farther. Over the years, Zhang Meiyu has devoted herself wholeheartedly to war planning and research, exploring and summarizing over 20 military research achievements.

Zhang Meiyu: In the process of tracking and driving away foreign warships that trespassed into our own waters, when we use our own efforts to drive foreign warships out of our own waters, the sense of responsibility and pride is very touching.

"In the interests of the country, our mission must be achieved."

In 2022, Zhang Meiyu was appointed as the captain of the Hainan ship. The Hainan ship, as China's first Type 075 amphibious assault ship, has a displacement of 40000 tons. The inclusion of the Hainan ship has further enhanced the amphibious combat capabilities of the Chinese Navy, significantly enhancing its ability to provide long-range escort and land landing operations. As the captain of this star warship, when it comes to the outstanding strength of the Hainan ship, Zhang Meiyu's words are full of pride and pride. He said that the Hainan ship brought him a new field and unprecedented challenges.

Zhang Meiyu: I went from the previous new type of missile frigate to the first domestically produced amphibious attack ship. The tonnage of the ship has changed from a thousand tons to ten thousand tons. This is not only a simple change in tonnage and scale, but also a leap in combat mode and winning mechanism. Previously, in our training, we focused more on improving our technical and tactical skills. However, when it comes to the Hainan ship, we need to put more effort into collaborative and joint operations, which has put new requirements on my knowledge structure, thinking mode, and command style.

The Hainan ship is undergoing training

Thanks to her tireless learning and years of hard work on the front line at sea, Zhang Meiyu gained a profound understanding and comprehension of various departments and systems of the Hainan ship shortly after taking office.

Zhang Meiyu: Before coming to the Hainan ship, I had been working in the naval forces for over a decade. In daily work, I enjoy learning and thinking, and when I study, I focus on understanding the fundamental principles. The equipment types are different, it's okay. I am very clear about the equipment principles. I will study the key parts with differences and understand what is going on. By combining technical data for verification, I can quickly achieve knowledge transfer between different ship types and types.

The youth of struggle is the most beautiful. Since serving as the captain of the Hainan ship, Zhang Meiyu has led the entire crew to practice practical combat, command, and coordination, identifying weaknesses, identifying weaknesses, and filling gaps in the ups and downs, honing the hard work of being able to fight at any time and winning in battle. He confidently said that the Hainan ship will become the maritime pioneer of amphibious warfare.

Zhang Meiyu: In the more than two years since the Hainan ship was put into operation, we have completed all subject training assessments, which can be said to have obtained the "access certificate" for the battlefield. We have also carried out many practical training, including long-distance training, as well as a lot of joint training with aviation troops. Overall, our practical and formation combat capabilities have been greatly improved.

Zhang Meiyu is having heart to heart talks with young officers and soldiers

From a young farmer in Miaozhai to a national defense student at Tsinghua University, from an officer to the captain of China's latest frigate and the first 075 amphibious assault ship, Zhang Meiyu has fought through waves and wind and rain on the journey of pursuing her dreams, integrating her personal ideals into her dream of building a strong military and writing a loyal answer sheet in the vast expanse of the motherland. On the eve of August 1st, Zhang Meiyu was awarded the title of "Most Beautiful Revolutionary Soldier of the New Era" by the Central Propaganda Department and the Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission. Zhang Meiyu told reporters that receiving this honor is not only a recognition, but also a motivation. He will always remember his mission and responsibility to prepare for war, lead the entire ship's officers and soldiers to continuously hone their ability to win the ocean and defeat the enemy, and make great strides towards the goal of building a world-class navy.

Zhang Meiyu: We hope that with the joint efforts of all our officers and soldiers, the Hainan ship will continuously improve its combat capabilities in subsequent combat readiness and training tasks, and be able to respond to the call of the motherland and the people at any time. When national interests arise, our mission must be achieved. I hope that the People's Navy can achieve the goal of building a world-class navy as soon as possible, and I will contribute all my efforts to this end.