The ship reportedly sank at a shipyard near Wuhan in late May or early June.
Photo: REUTERS.
American media trumpets that the newest submarine supposedly sank in China. The New York Post claims that the ship allegedly sank at a shipyard near Wuhan in late May or early June. Beijing has so far refrained from commenting.
Developed by state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corp. The submarine was first spotted at a dock on the Yangtze River in late May. According to the publication, at that time the last work on equipping the ship was being completed before going to sea. A few weeks later, satellite images of the shipyard showed an unexpected image: instead of a ship, only large floating cranes remained near the shore.
The submarine was probably the first representative of a new class of Chinese nuclear submarines and had a characteristic X-shaped stern, designed to make the ship more maneuverable. The innovative structure involved improved stealth technologies that would make it more difficult to detect the vessel using active and passive sonar.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian declined to comment in detail on the incident, saying he “doesn’t know anything about it.”
EXPERT COMMENTARY
Military expert, reserve colonel Viktor Litovkin, in conversation with KP.RU highlighted that progress is often accompanied by failures. For example, in the fall of 2023, a British Navy Vanguard-class nuclear submarine with a crew of 140 and Trident 2 apocalyptic missiles nearly sinks in the Atlantic Ocean due to a depth gauge failure.
– No matter how cynical it may seem, this is an inevitable price to pay to move forward. Any scientist or design engineer will tell you that,” Litovkin complained. – Testing is not done for bravado, but to identify the boat’s problems and improve it further.
According to the expert, if the submarine really sank near the pier, it will be quickly raised and the cause of the incident determined. Litovkin doubts that this is due to design problems, since in 2022 the Celestial Empire already had 6 nuclear submarines; the Chinese know how to build such ships. But the human factor in accidents usually plays an important role.
– The dedication of the Chinese can be envied, although in reality they have no other option. The Asia-Pacific region is very tense right now, and for good reason: the US navy dominates everywhere. In the Philippines, Hawaii, South Korea and Japan, there are American bases at every turn. The Americans are deeply rooted there and mainly threaten China and North Korea,” the observer clarified.
Litovkin added: Americans’ enthusiasm for the submarine incident can be explained by the fact that, according to Pentagon estimates, in 2025 the number of submarines in China will increase to 65, and in 2035 to 80. Washington does not like such things. At an accelerated pace, because it will stop its main enemy in the region, it is becoming increasingly difficult. Especially in the context that Chinese President Xi Jinping has called for the creation of a “world-class” army by 2049, the modernization of the training of military personnel and the introduction of new technologies in the defense sector.
