A Type 055 large destroyer sails at sea. Photo: Screenshot from the WeChat account of China Central Television's military channel

A foreign warship lost power when tracking the Zunyi, a Type 055 large destroyer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy, which was on a daily training exercise, a Chinese crew member unveiled on Wednesday.

Zhang Jun, an officer with the rank of captain on the Zunyi, recalled during the report on China Central Television's (CCTV) military channel that the destroyer had many encounters with foreign warships and aircraft during the exercise, matching both wits and courage.

"During that mission, we were conducting routine training exercises when a foreign warship began tracking our ship. As we sailed at high speed, the foreign vessel had to sail at high speed. While we were in a standoff, its power and electricity all suddenly went out, its radar stopped emitting, and its navigation lights went dark," Zhang said.

"This lasted for nearly half an hour. But our equipment and our crew had no problems at all," he continued.

Asked whether he gets nervous when such situations occur, Zhang responded confidently: "Why should I be nervous? I was definitely not nervous. As long as you are within range of my missiles, I can definitely destroy you."

Neither Zhang nor the CCTV report gave more details about the encounter, including the time, location or the name of the foreign warship. However, observers recalled a case in which the US Navy's guided-missile destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) spent four days in the South China Sea without power after an engineering failure in July, as reported by the USNI News, the US Naval Institute's online news outlet, in August.

The CCTV report also unveiled that the 10,000-ton large destroyer with hull number 107 serves as a new-type maritime force and important command node, information center, and mobile fortress. It has been deeply integrated into its carrier strike group's system-of-systems operations and has completed multiple major missions, including far-sea combat-oriented exercises in the South Pacific, spending an average of more than 200 days at sea each year.

Chinese military expert Shi Hong told the Global Times that the Type 055 is considered the world's best large destroyer in terms of comprehensive capabilities. It can accompany aircraft carriers or play the role of a command ship.

The report also gave viewers a glimpse of the Zunyi's anti-submarine capabilities. Since its commissioning, the ship has always treated deep-sea anti-submarine warfare as a key area of focus, summarizing and developing a particular submarine search tactic.

During a PLA Navy drill in 2025, it used this tactic and won first place, according to the CCTV report. 

Xu Yi, another crew member on the ship, was quoted as saying that while specific tactics cannot be disclosed, "We have a powerful offensive and defensive system. In the future, we will definitely conduct operations externally in formation. In fact, we have already begun integrating multiple formations and exploring what makes for the best combination."

"Anti-submarine warfare mainly comes down to three issues: I can detect it, I can defend against it, and I can attack it accurately. We are also working hard in these areas," Xu said.

Wang Yunfei, a Chinese military affairs expert, told the Global Times that given the larger displacement of the Type 055, its bow sonar and towed sonar systems are estimated to be larger than those used by the Type 052D destroyer and Type 054A frigate. In addition, new technologies may be integrated into its sonar systems. These factors could enable the destroyer to detect submarines from farther ranges with higher accuracy.

Additionally, the Type 055 destroyer has two helicopter hangars, whereas the Type 052D destroyer and Type 054A frigate each have only one. This means that the Type 055 can deploy an extra Z-20 anti-submarine helicopter, extending its operational coverage, Wang said.