Chinese nuclear submarine sank in its port, Pentagon says

A Chinese nuclear-powered attack submarine sank at the dock earlier this year while it was under construction, in what U.S. defense officials said was a major setback for the Chinese military.

Speaking on condition of anonymity to the BBC’s US partner CBS, officials said the loss of the submarine likely occurred between May and June.

Satellite images taken in June show what appears to be floating salvage cranes at the berth in Wuhan where the ship was seen a month earlier. Beijing has not confirmed the reports.

The US officials said it was “not surprising” that the Chinese military would have covered up the loss of one of its newest assets.

It is unclear whether the submarine had nuclear fuel on board at the time.

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman said Friday he was not familiar with the subject and did not provide any information when asked at a news conference in Beijing.

The incident raises questions about China’s defense industry, which is reportedly steeped in corruption.

China has the largest navy in the worldwith more than 370 ships, and is currently producing a new generation of nuclear submarines, the Zhou class, of which this was the first.

Taiwan has said it conducted its own investigation into the submarine’s fate and “understood the situation through multiple intelligence and surveillance methods,” but gave no further details.

Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noticed the submarine incident in July.

He told the BBC that the sinking was a “setback” that would cause “quite a big embarrassment” for the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) navy, but that the security risk was likely “fairly low”.

However, he added: ‘When this ship is eventually repaired, and I am sure it will be, it will be a much more capable submarine than what they previously built in that shipyard.

“I don’t see this significantly altering the truly impressive upward trajectory of the PLA Navy’s capabilities.”

The sinking comes at a time when Beijing has become increasingly assertive in laying claim to it virtually the entire South China Seawhich is crucial for international trade.

The country has long-standing maritime disputes with other countries in the region, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam.