Could have been carrying nuclear fuel: China's newest submarine sank

Could have been carrying nuclear fuel: China's newest submarine sank Anastasia Kolesnikova

Chinese nuclear submarine Drowned near the pier/Collage 24 Channel

The newest nuclear submarine sank in China. The incident occurred at the beginning of the summer. However, it became known only now.

Recently it became known about the complete failure of the Russians in testing the RS-28 Sarmat nuclear intercontinental ballistic missile, which they were so proud of. Their “pride” simply exploded and destroyed the military testing ground.

Tried to Hide Their Shame

It turned out that China's nuclear ambitions were also subjected to a humiliating blow. According to US officials, this happened back in late May or early June. However, Beijing tried in every possible way to hide its shame.

It turned out that the newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank at a shipyard near Wuhan. This happened right now, when the PRC is trying to expand its navy, in particular its fleet of nuclear submarines.

The US government does not know whether the submarine was carrying nuclear fuel at the time of the disaster. Meanwhile, experts suggest that this is quite likely.

The Zhou-class vessel that sank is the first of a new class of Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarines and has a distinctive X-shaped stern that is designed to make the vessel more maneuverable. The boat was built by state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp. She was spotted at a pier on the Yangtze River in late May undergoing final fitting out before heading out to sea.

The sinking of a new nuclear-powered submarine built at a new shipyard will slow China's plans to expand its fleet of nuclear-powered submarines, said Brent Sadler, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation, a Washington-based think tank, and a retired U.S. Navy officer.

A senior U.S. official said he was not surprised by China's efforts to cover up the fact that its new, first-of-its-kind nuclear-powered attack submarine had sunk near its pier.

The first public evidence that something was amiss at the shipyard near Wuhan came this summer, when Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. submarine officer and senior fellow Center for a New American Security, wrote a series of social media posts noting unusual activity by floating cranes captured on commercial satellite imagery.

Shugart speculated that the incident may have involved a new type of submarine, but he did not know at the time that it was nuclear-powered.

While the submarine was salvaged, it will likely be many months before it can be released to sea.

It is possible that Chinese personnel were killed or injured when the submarine sank.

Shugart said the risk of a nuclear leak was likely low because the submarine was not at sea and its reactors were likely not operating at high power levels.