The sunken submarine was the first of China’s new Zhou-class submarines.
China’s newest nuclear submarine sank in the spring next to a pier near the city of Wuhan, two US defense officials claim CNN’s by.
According to CNN, the Chinese navy is covering up the accident.
The sunken submarine was the first of China’s new Zhou-class submarines. Its stern resembles the shape of the letter X, which is intended to improve the boat’s maneuverability under water.
The Guardian describes the sunken submarine as a top-class model.
China has sought to diversify the production of nuclear-powered submarines.
of The Wall Street Journal according to them, their production was previously concentrated in the city of Huludao in northeastern China, but China has now moved to manufacture nuclear submarines at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan.
At the end of 2022, Beijing had 48 diesel-powered attack submarines and six nuclear submarines, according to a Pentagon report on China’s military power published last year.
Unusual activity
Satellite images from the Maxar Technologies company show the submarine still in place next to the pier on March 10. In June, it is no longer visible on satellite images.
An investigator noticed unusual activity at the dock Tom Shugartwho regularly examines satellite images of Chinese shipyards in his work.
– I have never seen such a concentration of cranes in one place, Shugart tells CNN.
According to Shugart, sinking is also evidenced by the fact that submarines are usually in the shipyard for months after launching. However, the new submarine has not been seen at the dock since spring.
China is obscuring information
CNN asked the Chinese Embassy in Washington to comment on the incident. The embassy stated that it has no information about the case and therefore has nothing to comment on.
– It would not be surprising if the Chinese navy would try to keep the fact that a new submarine is sinking next to the pier out of the public eye, says a defense official interviewed by CNN.
According to The Wall Street Journal, experts have considered it likely that there could have been people and nuclear fuel inside the submarine at the time of the sinking.