Chinese nuclear submarine sank at dock: media

A Chinese nuclear submarine of the latest generation sank in late May or early June during construction at a shipyard in Wuhan province, U.S. media quoted defense officials as saying.

The Wall Street Journal first reported on the suspected sinking of the sub at Wuchang shipyard, which had been believed only to build conventional diesel-powered submarines for the Chinese military.

The newspaper said that the vessel that sank was the first of a new class of Chinese nuclear-powered submarines, called the Zhou class, which features a distinctive X-shaped stern. It was undergoing the final stage of construction when it sank. 

The incident would indicate that the construction of nuclear submarines is moving to Wuchang from a previously known shipyard in Huludao, Liaoning province.

Open source investigators reported unusual movements and activities at the shipyard on the Yangtze River in early June, when floating cranes were seen working to supposedly salvage the sub.

Unidentified U.S. officials quoted by American media outlets said that China was trying to conceal the accident, which was a major setback for its submarine program. 

‘No information’

It is unclear whether the submarine had nuclear fuel on board when it sank and there are no indications of nuclear rescue efforts in the area in the following months.

The Chinese embassy in Washington told news agencies that it “has no information to provide.”

Taiwan, which closely monitors Chinese military activity, said it was aware of the reports.

Defense Minister Wellington Koo said on Friday that authorities “have a grasp of the situation through multiple intelligence and surveillance methods,” the Reuters news agency reported, echoing words he used in June when Taiwanese media reported that a Chinese submarine had been spotted in the Taiwan Strait.

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China has the largest number of naval ships in the world – approximately 370 surface ships and submarines – according to the Pentagon’s 2023 China Military Power Report. Among them are six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack submarines and 48 diesel-powered attack submarines. 

China’s submarine force is expected to grow to 65 by 2025 and to 80 by 2035.

The suspected sinking of the Zhou-class submarine has provoked questions among Chinese military watchers.

Some say that the waters of the Yangtze River around Wuhan are too shallow for new nuclear submarines. 

“We must, of course, accommodate the possibility of a mistaken intel,” said Collin Koh, a regional military expert. 

“It’s more likely this episode will end like the earlier news about a Chinese nuclear boat having met a mishap in the Yellow Sea or Bohai Gulf,” Koh said, referring to reports of an accident on a Chinese Shang-class nuclear submarine in August last year.

British media at that time, citing leaked intelligence, said the Chinese attack submarine with hull number 417 was “caught in a trap intended to ensnare British sub-surface vessels in the Yellow Sea.”

This resulted in systems failures that took six hours to repair and surface the vessel, resulting in the deaths of 55 sailors, the Daily Mail and the Times said.

The Chinese military has never spoken about the incident and questions remain unanswered.

Edited by Mike Firn.