- One of China's newest attack submarines sank at a shipyard in Wuhan.
- Satellite images show China's efforts to salvage the nuclear-powered vessel.
- China's shipbuilding industry is massive and at the core of its naval modernization efforts.
One of China's newest nuclear-powered attack submarines sank in a Wuhan shipyard, a US official told Business Insider, confirming earlier reporting.
The Chinese submarine, said to be the newest Zhou-class vessel, sank sometime after it was documented in the Wuchang shipyard in Wuhan in late May. The incident was first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Satellite images captured by Planet Labs after it sank showed large, floating cranes near the pier in June as China attempted to salvage the vessel.
The sub that sank was the first of its class.
Thomas Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security think tank and former US submarine officer, first posted images on X in July showing cranes clustered around something in the water at a spot where the new submarine had been earlier. He also noted the presence of an oil containment boom and speculated that something "odd" was happening.
Satellite images from July 5 that Shugart shared online showed the cranes had cleared, suggesting the efforts to salvage the vessel had been completed.
Neither Beijing nor its military branch, the People's Liberation Army, have addressed the sinking or the potential environmental risks.
A senior defense official told Business Insider what was told to The WSJ, stating that "it's not surprising that the PLA Navy would try to conceal the fact that their new first-in-class nuclear-powered attack submarine sank pierside."
"In addition to the obvious questions about training standards and equipment quality," the official said, "the incident raises deeper questions about the PLA's internal accountability and oversight of China's defense industry — which has long been plagued by corruption."
The submarine's sinking comes as China's shipbuilding industry continues to fuel its naval modernization plans. China's shipbuilding capacity, for both commercial and military vessels, is massive, and it uses many of its dual-use shipyards to build its navy, which is the largest in the world.
The Pentagon has long identified China's shipbuilding industry as key to its naval buildup, which is occurring at a rapid pace. The efforts are tied to the modernization of China's military, developments that have played into the US decision to shift its focus towards the Indo-Pacific.
