# Gulf of Aden

Sailors' Notebooks and a Navy's Confidence: Inside the Baotou Ship's 'Voyage Diaries'

Personal voyage diaries kept by sailors aboard the PLAN destroyer Baotou provide a window into the Chinese navy’s operational learning, technical integration and morale-building during long deployments. The entries illuminate both the quotidian work of mastering new systems and the strategic aim of projecting steady, professional maritime presence.