Chinese nuclear attack submarine sank during construction, US says

Satellite images showed China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank along a pier during construction, a senior U.S. defense official said Thursday.

The sinking of China’s first Zhou-class submarine marks a setback for Beijing as the country continues to build the world’s largest navy. Beijing has become increasingly assertive in pursuing its claim to virtually the entire South China Sea, which is crucial to international trade.

Meanwhile, China faces long-standing territorial disputes involving others in the region, including Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. The United States has sought to strengthen ties with its allies in the region and regularly sails through these waters in operations it says are intended to maintain freedom of navigation for ships there, angering Beijing.

The submarine likely sank between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes needed to lift it from the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to provide details of the submarine’s loss.

China has been building up its naval fleet at a rapid pace, and the US views China’s rise as one of its major future security challenges.

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 US official said it was “not surprising” that the Chinese navy would cover it up. The current status of the submarine is unknown.

The identification of the sunken nuclear submarine was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submariner and analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noted the submarine incident in July, although it was not publicly known at the time that it was the Zhou’s new ship class went.

Satellite images from Planet Labs PBC analyzed by The Associated Press show what appears to be a submarine docked at the Shuangliu Shipyard on the Yangtze River before the incident.

A photo taken on June 15 appears to show the submarine partially or completely submerged, just below the surface of the river, with rescue equipment and cranes surrounding it. Booms surround it to prevent oil or other leaks from the ship.

A satellite image taken on August 25 shows a submarine on the same dock as the submerged ship. It’s not clear if it was the same one.

It remains unclear whether the stricken submarine was loaded with nuclear fuel or whether the reactor was operating at the time of the incident. However, there have been no reports of radiation in the area since then.

According to a US military report, China had six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines last year.

News of the submarine’s sinking comes as China carried out a rare launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile in international waters in the Pacific Ocean this week. Experts said it was the first time Beijing had conducted such a test since 1980.

Gambrell reported from Dubai, United Arab Emirates.