Report: China’s Newest Nuclear Sub Sank at Dock Undergoing Outfitting
Unnamed officials of the U.S. military have been confirming a report yesterday from The Wall Street Journal that China’s newest nuclear submarine sank during outfitting. There had been rumors online for months of a problem before The Wall Street Journal was successful in piecing together the story.
The report is based on the interpretation of multiple satellite images of the docks at the Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan, China. Satellites detected what appeared to be a submarine at least partially submerged at the dock while later images showed a large salvage operation underway. Multiple floating cranes were detected around the submarine and pier and by August the images showed a sub believed to be the same vessel back at the dock.
A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson today denied any knowledge of the topic the Associated Press reports. The same report cites an unnamed U.S. official who said it was “not surprising” that China was denying the reports. The Wall Street Journal believes China went to lengths to attempt to cover up the embarrassing incident.
Exclusive: China’s newest nuclear attack submarine sank in the spring and Beijing scrambled to cover it up, U.S. officials said https://t.co/4lZJCM9evR https://t.co/4lZJCM9evR
— The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) September 26, 2024
The vessel is believed to be the first of China’s new Zhou-class submarines. Analysts are identifying the vessel from a distinctive X-shaped stern which the reports said is part of the design to make the vessel more maneuverable.
The sub was under construction at the shipyard which is part of China State Shipbuilding Corporation. It had been observed at a pier on the Yangtze River since the spring believed to be undergoing outfitting. It is unclear if the vessel had ever gone to sea or if the nuclear reactor had been fueled. Analysts are speculating that there was nuclear material aboard but that since the vessel was still outfitting the reactor was likely only at a low level.
Acquiring a yet more recent and higher-res image, from 5 July, it now appears that whatever was going on there is over, and there is now a submarine moored at a different floating pier, further to the west. It's unclear if it was the same boat repositioned, or a different one. pic.twitter.com/uWFjFFblrZ
— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) July 16, 2024
China has traditionally built its submarines at a different shipyard but analysts believed as part of the navy build out China was seeking to diversify submarine shipbuilding. CSSC is heavily involved in naval shipbuilding for China at multiple shipyards.
The reports speculate that despite the apparent salvage of the vessel it will be a long-term setback for China’s efforts. After the dewatering, the ship likely suffered extensive damage to its systems with analysts saying it is likely to take many months before the vessel will again be operational.
The reports cite varying numbers for the current size of China’s submarine fleet. The PLA highlights online that it built its first nuclear-powered submarine Long March 1 launched in December 1970 and commissioned in 1974. It is generally believed that China currently has six nuclear-powered attack submarines in service and a total of 48 conventional diesel-powered submarines. CNN cites a report from the Congressional Research Service that expects China will have 65 submarines by 2025 and 80 by 2035.