In my youth, I ordered a cheap inflatable canoe from China. The vessel’s maiden voyage ended in disaster just 50 yards from the shore, when the placid waters of the Little Maumelle River proved too much for the rapidly-deflating canoe.

While this inland naval disaster appears to be a problem with the quality of the country’s exports, recent events have shown that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy suffers from similar sinking problems.

And Beijing didn’t lose an inflatable dinghy to Davy Jones’ Locker, but its newest nuclear-powered attack submarine.

Attempts to cover up the humiliating loss have now been exposed by satellite imagery.

According to the Wall Street Journal, a Zhou-class submarine, the first of its kind, sank at a shipyard near Wuhan. It’s believed the vessel sank in May or June.

The loss was not announced by the Chinese military or local officials, two groups that are still silent on the incident.

Former U.S. submarine officer Thomas Shugart appears to be one of the first to publicly post about something strange happening in the Yangtze River.

“I recently acquired some updated imagery from Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan – China’s primary shipyard for non-nuclear submarine construction,” Shugart wrote on the social media platform X on July 16. “It appears there may have been something…odd going on there in June.”

Shugart noted the location was where he originally spotted a submarine, which he then identified through grainy satellite imagery as a potential diesel-electric Yuan-class vessel.

First, an older image from 29 May shows nothing unusual – a presumably new-construction Yuan-class submarine (Type 039 variant) in the usual spot where newly-launched boats are fitted out.

[BTW the patchwork nature of the images is because I buy my own and pay by the area, so..] pic.twitter.com/k8VJVVYkyX

— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) July 16, 2024

He followed up the post with newer satellite images showing crane barges clustered around the location where the submarine had been. The floating pier now seemed to be moved aside, and Shugart noted something “roughly submarine-sized” that the cranes appeared to be working on.

Not satisfied with the clarity of that image, I waited a few days and got this one from 15 June, which is much better. It does appear that the crane barges were working on something black that is roughly submarine-sized and -shaped. pic.twitter.com/8viEexpPMd

— Tom Shugart (@tshugart3) July 16, 2024

United States government officials are unsure whether the submarine had nuclear fuel on board, but experts cited by the Wall Street Journal said it was likely.

Although the sub now appears to have been raised, Shugart told WSJ that the vessel is nowhere near seaworthy.

“The whole boat would be full of water. You’d have to clean out all the electronics. The electric motors may need to be replaced,” he said. “It would be a lot of work.”

Even a complete refit of the submarine would not address whatever originally caused the sinking.

Whereas a human error such as an open hatch could be an easy fix (by sending the offending sailor to one of China’s re-education camps, for instance), a technical or structural flaw may prove to be much more difficult to address.

The sinking is a major blow for the Chinese navy, which is expected to play a major part in a potential war over the communist superpower’s mortal enemy, the Taiwan-based Republic of China.

The island, just a stone’s throw away from the mainland People’s Republic of China, is a favorite target of Beijing, which considers it a rebellious and wayward province.

In the event of a war, United States forces are poised to help Taiwan’s defenders cast off any invaders who set foot on the island.

Assignment Editor

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