“published newspaper”Wall Street JournalThe American newspaper reported details related to the “sinking of a Chinese nuclear submarine,” as the event represented a “major setback” for China’s military modernization efforts.
The incident, which the newspaper said was “covered up” by Chinese authorities, took place at a shipyard near Wuhan in late May or early June, at a time when China was trying to to expand their fleet, including its fleet of nuclear power. submarines.
According to the newspaper, the United States does not know whether the submarine was carrying nuclear fuel at the time it sank, but independent experts suggested “it was.”
The attack submarine that sank is the first of a new class called the “Chu”, which is nuclear powered, features an “X” shaped stern, and is designed to be more accessible.
The submerged submarine was built by the State Shipbuilding Corporation of China, a state-owned company, and was seen next to a quay on the Yangtze River at the end of May, when it was undergoing final preparations before it set sail.
After the incident, large cranes were launched in early June to retrieve it from the river bed, according to satellite images of the site.
Pentagon Refers to “Chinese Nuclear Submarine Sinking”
Commenting on the reports of the sinking of a Chinese submarine, the Pentagon official said, “It is not surprising that the Chinese Navy is trying to hide the fact that the submarine was sunk They have a new nuclear power attack, the first of its kind. sunk.”
The first public sign of trouble at the shipyard, near Wuhan, appeared this summer, after Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy officer and senior associate at the Center for National Security SA, referred in a series of blog posts on social media platforms to “Unusual activity.” For floating cranes” seen with commercial satellite imagery.
Based on these observations, Shugart suggested that an “accident with a new type of submarine” had occurred, but he was unaware at the time that this submarine was nuclear powered.
While the submarine has been recovered, it will likely take several months before it is returned to sea, according to the newspaper.
“The entire submarine will be flooded,” Shugart said, adding: “All the electronics will have to be cleaned and the electric motors will probably have to be replaced.
American officials found no evidence that their Chinese counterparts collected samples of water or the surrounding environment to check radiation levels.
Regarding the loss of life as a result of the incident, the sources of the newspaper suggested that there were deaths or injuries among the crew. However, official sources in Washington confirmed the lack of information in this regard.
China is working to diversify production of nuclear-powered submarines, focusing its production on the northeastern city of Huludao, but is now moving to manufacturing attack submarines with nuclear power at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan.
Beijing had 48 diesel-powered attack submarines and 6 nuclear-powered attack submarines at the end of 2022, according to a report on China’s military power released by the Pentagon last year.
“Sinking a new nuclear submarine built at a new shipyard will slow China’s plans to grow its nuclear submarine fleet,” said Brent Sadler, senior researcher at the Heritage Center. and a retired nuclear submarine officer in the US Navy.
A Pentagon official, referring to reports of the incident, said, “It is not surprising that the Chinese Navy is trying to hide its new nuclear attack submarine, the first of its kind, which sunk.”
He opined, “Besides the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality, the incident raises deeper questions about accountability within the Chinese military, and the oversight of China’s defense industries, which has long suffered from corruption. “
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2024-09-27 05:17:58
