China’s Nuclear-Powered Submarine Sunk During Construction; Revealed US Military

Satellite imagery has proved that China’s newest nuclear-powered attack submarine sank alongside a pier while under construction, a senior US defence official said Thursday.

The submarine that sank was China’s first Zhou-class submarine. It was a setback for China as it is trying to build out the world’s largest navy.

The submarine likely sank between May and June, when satellite images showed cranes that would be necessary to lift it off the bottom of the river, said the official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, as per a report by AP.

The identification of the sunken nuclear submarine was first reported by The Wall Street Journal. Thomas Shugart, a former US Navy submariner and an analyst at the Center for a New American Security, first noticed the incident involving the submarine in July. At that time it was not known that it was the new Zhou-class vessel.

An image taken June 15 appears to show the submarine either fully or partially submerged just under the river’s surface.

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

It remains unclear if the affected submarine had been loaded with nuclear fuel or if its reactor was operating at the time of the incident. However, there has been no reported release of radiation in the area in the time since.