China’s newest nuclear submarine sank in dock, US officials confirm
China’s newest nuclear submarine sank in dock, US officials confirm
Loss of state-of-the-art vessel in May or June is setback to Chinese push for naval parity with US
Loss of state-of-the-art vessel in May or June is setback to Chinese push for naval parity with US
China’s efforts to achieve maritime military parity with the US have suffered a serious blow after its newest state-of-the-art nuclear submarine sank in a dock, American officials have confirmed.
The incident happened last May or June at the Wuchang shipyard near Wuhan – the same city where the Covid-19 pandemic is believed to have originated – and came to light, thanks to satellite imagery, despite efforts by the country’s communist authorities to stage a cover-up.
A US defence official told Reuters that the Zhou-class vessel – first of a new kind of Chinese submarines and distinctive for its X-shaped stern that aids manoeuvrability – is believed to have been next to a pier when it sank.
It is not known if there were any casualties – or if the submarine had any nuclear fuel onboard at the time, although experts have deemed that likely, according to the Wall Street Journal, which initially broke the story. The submarine was eventually salvaged but it is believed that it will take many months before it can be put to sea.
I've been in the navy for over 15 years, so yeah, I know better...
But... Isn't it supposed to do that? 👀
The possibility of being stationed in a submarine is one of the many reasons I did not choose to join the Navy; it's a nightmare scenario. This sort of incident makes me feel sorry for Chinese submarine crews - it's a bad situation made worse by destroying any shred of confidence in the engineers.
Not sure about other countries, but America's submarine force is volunteer. You wouldn't be forced onto a submarine.
I was on a sub and I chose it because being instantaneously crunched sounded better than starving in a life boat.
To be honest, if it needs to sink (uncontrolled), the dock would be my preferred location. Before I board it, best case scenario.
Absolutely. I mean, people drown in shallow water all the time; if it flooded, it wouldn't matter if it were 20m or 200m; you'd still be dead.
But it was a best case for China, since recovery was about as easy as it could possibly be.
Also, in dock, there's a better chance that it wasn't fully manned, or that it didn't flood and they could get folks out. I'm no submarineologist, but it's difficult to imagine a case where a submarine sank at dock without flooding, though, so my guess is some people died.
Many countries have navies with subs that don't sink at the dock, blow up, etc. If by "Navy" you meant russian or chinese (or Indian!) navy then I understand you. Otherwise you are extrapolating issues from countries with deep structural issues to your situation when it may not be the most productive way of thinking. This doesn't mean I think you should have joined or not - just stating that what you feared may not apply to your country, depending on where you are from.
Whatever point you're trying to make without saying it out loud is false:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_submarine_and_submersible_incidents_since_2000
I'm saying that I'm claustrophobic, and being in a submarine is a nightmare scenario, regardless of how safe it is.
Also: while I don't know the selection process for US Navy submarines, my experience with the military is that you can have an opinion about how you want to be posted, but no actual decision-making ability. So I may hope to fly Navy jets, but the Navy can simply say: "fuck you, you're going to be stationed on a submarine," and there's little I could do about it.
Also: accidents happen, subs sink, regardless of the country. It's pretty high on my list of ways not to die, just below Nutty Putty cave and getting sucked into Bolton Strid.
Also: submarines are weapons of war, so there's a non-zero chance someone, at some point, will be trying to make you sink.
Also: I was saying that were I a Chinese submarine crew, an incident like this would not fill me with confidence about my posting.
Can’t believe China managed to perfectly copy an OceanGate submarine.
I don't think it killed any rich people though.
The front fell off.
I only came her for this comment, thank you!
I hope they at least towed it outside the environment.
It's not really lost. If it sank in dock, it's right there only lower.
slaps roof
"Brand new, just a lil damp inside."
slaps roof
"You can fit so much sea water in this baby"
Yeah, it's nothing like Sevastopol.
i mean, isn't it a submarine, after all?
So... Is this Aladeen news or Aladeen news?
Here to dunk on the losers who believed this. It was the shadow of a crane you morons. Keep eating the western propaganda. China stays winning 😎
