China lost its most advanced nuclear submarine when she sank in a naval yard earlier this year — and it suggests the communist nation may be in too deep for the trouble it is trying to do. Build a navy to counter America's sea power,
The Chinese Zhou-class, the first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines, was laid down at a shipyard near Wuhan in late May or early June, The Wall Street Journal reports.
The Chinese military has maintained silence about the incident, claiming its “maritime superiority” in the South China Sea – with an eye on a possible invasion of Taiwan.
Nuclear submarines are capable of operating for longer periods of time and at greater speeds than conventional submarines, which China already operates. Attack submarines like the Zhou-class are designed to silently stalk and attack enemy ships, including US aircraft carrier groups – and escape without detection.
Zhou will represent a new, more dangerous capability People's Liberation Army Navy of China.
The submarine sub was possibly part of China's new fleet This was mentioned in a Pentagon report last year on China's military strength.
China is reportedly developing new submarines, naval ships and aircraft carriers to counter the US and its allies in the event of an invasion of Taiwan – the self-ruled, democratic Chinese island that Beijing claims is a It is a separate province.
Retired Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, senior fellow at the Foundation for Defending Democracies, told The Post that the submarine's failure would be “a real blow to China because the first ship in the class basically sets the track for ships to follow.”
,This ship was delayed due to repairs Submarine production will be hampered,” he said.
Montgomery said such a production issue is not unheard of; American and Soviet submarines sank in the dock in the 1960s and 1970s.
“This incident could be a sign of moving very quickly, that the PLA Navy is working hard to catch up to US nuclear submarine capabilities,” said the former commander of the US carrier strike group in Japan.
The phenomenon was first flagged in July by Thomas Shugart, a former US submarine officer and fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who noticed strange activities occurring at the Wuchang Shipyard.
Shugart sees commercial satellite images depicting a new submarine deployed at the shipyard, with the arrival of floating cranes indicating that something has gone wrong.
The sub, built by the government's China State Shipbuilding Corporation, was floating in the Yangtze River in late May before the crane arrived, according to satellite photos.
It is unclear why the submarine sank, whether there were any casualties, and whether it had nuclear fuel on board at the time.
U.S. officials told the WSJ that there are no signs that Chinese authorities are testing nearby waters for radiation.
