New Chinese Nuclear Submarine Sinks in Setback for Navy Expansion

By Malte Humpert (gCaptain) –

China’s first Zhou-class submarine, a new nuclear-powered attack vessel, sank earlier this summer at the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan. The sinking represents a major setback for China’s effort to expand and modernize its naval assets in what has been called an arms race with the U.S.

The sinking occurred dock-side in May or June this year, but was first reported by The Wall Street Journal on Thursday. A senior U.S. defense official, speaking on condition of anonymity, has since confirmed the incident.

A series of satellite images shows the incident unfolding over the course of several weeks, including a recovery effort. The vessel’s distinct X-shape stern allowed for its visual identification as a Zhou-class submarine. A flotilla of floating cranes descended onto the port in the days that followed, likely engaged in a recovery operation.

The third-generation nuclear submarine was first identified in satellite images in May 2021 and subsequently unveiled by the country’s navy in July 2022. The vessel’s design represents a new level in stealth capabilities for a Chinese submarine making it harder to detect it with active or passive sonars. It may be used to escort Chinese carrier groups in the future.

The Zhou-class vessel was built by China’s State Shipbuilding Corporation.

The incident is representative of two key things, experts suggest. A lack of full-scope experience, including leadership, operational, and technical. And the cumulative effects of small complacency issues leading to a significant failure event. 

“China simply does not have the military expertise that takes many decades of experience and professional development to achieve. The strict vertical chain of command only makes matters worse when leaders are constrained and permission becomes the priority over adaptability and empowerment,” explains Dr. Troy Bouffard, Director of the Center for Arctic Security and Resilience at the University of Alaska Fairbanks.

“In my experience serving and working with defense authorities for over three decades, this kind of culture and lack of experience tends to explain these kinds of failures,” he concludes.

The US has long held supremacy in nuclear submarine assets patrolling the global oceans. However, the Zhou-class development is part of China’s efforts to build up its naval assets at a breakneck pace.

China has been stepping up its naval engagement in recent years and months. This summer marked the first time the country’s Navy deployed three aircraft carriers simultaneously.

It has also conducted large-scale naval exercises with Russia involving 400 vessels. A recent 60 minutes report highlighted its aggressive behavior in the West Philippine sea where it has deployed a 251 ship armada as it makes illegitimate claims to waters which international courts have ruled belong to the Philippines.

Its naval operations also include emerging theaters of operation like the Arctic. This summer it dispatched three modern icebreakers to patrol the increasingly ice-free waters of the high north. 

Its expanding ice-capable capacity stands at a stark contrast to the U.S.’ aging icebreakers, which consist of 50-year old and nearly 30-year old vessels. A long-overdue renewal program remains delayed at Bollinger shipyard five years after a construction contract was signed pushing delivery into the 2030s.

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