China's Newest Attack Submarine Is Off To An Unlucky Start

The People's Republic of China has been hard at work building new navy vessels over the past few decades. China has poured a lot of money into its Navy, with the introduction of new nuclear-powered aircraft carriers and a whole host of submarines. As of 2023, China had in its inventory six nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarines, six nuclear-powered attack subs, and nearly 50 diesel-powered attack submarines.

Like the United States did previously, China is moving away from diesel-powered submarines and will grow its submarine force to 65 in 2025 and 80 by 2035, which would put it past the U.S. Navy's submarine fleet. Modernization and advancement is China's strategy, and to that end, it began developing a new class of nuclear-powered attack submarines dubbed the Zhou-class. To date, no Zhou-class vessels have been completed, though that's not for a lack of trying. While building the first of these new boats, China ran into something of a mishap.

Satellite imagery taken on June 15, 2024, shows the Wuchang Shipyard in Wuhan, China, where the vessel was under construction. That same imagery reveals that the first Zhou-class submarine sank where it was being assembled. While it's unclear when this event took place, it's likely the boat sank sometime in May or June. The Wall Street Journal broke the news of the sub's calamitous assembly on September 26, 2024, noting that cranes were in place to try and recover the vessel while the Chinese government tried to cover up its latest naval mishap.

Presently, not much is known about the submarine that sank while under construction other than a few key details. It's believed to be a new type of mini-nuclear submarine, which China has dubbed as Type 041. The designation of "Zhou-class" is from NATO, as are all names attributed to China's military hardware by the West. One known element is the shape of its stern, which is x-shaped instead of the standard cruciform-shaped stern of contemporary submarines.

Analysts in the West believe the Type 041 to be a nuclear-powered version of China's Type 039 submarine, which puts it on the small side. Once completed, the new subs will likely displace between 2,000 and 4,000 tons of water. Typical nuclear subs are much heavier, displacing as much as 10,000 tons, so it appears China is favoring smaller boats these days. This is likely due to the relatively shallow waters around China's coast and its claimed islands.

Because the boat is so much smaller than its peers, China developed a miniaturized nuclear reactor that functions differently from traditional ones. According to China Arms, Instead of boiling water to create steam, the reactor operates at low temperatures, generating power directly into the boat's batteries. This effectively makes the reactor more like a nuclear battery, which would theoretically be more efficient at the cost of more robust power generation. Unfortunately, that's about all that's known about the new subs, and none of the information is verified at this time.

When news of the Zhou-class submarine's sinking was raised in the West, China was quick to deny the rumors entirely. It's not unusual for China and many other nations to try to cover up an embarrassing episode like this, so there's no surprise in China's response. Indeed, when asked, a spokesperson from the Chinese embassy in Washington, D.C., said, "We are not familiar with the situation you mentioned and currently have no information to provide."

Because China denied the sub's sinking, it's unclear if any personnel were injured or killed when it happened. That said, it's clear that China launched a salvage operation right away, sending four crane barges to try and salvage the submarine from the river bed so construction could continue. While it's likely possible to raise the sub, repair the damage, and continue with its construction, the sinking is a major setback.

You can't just wipe down the thing with a few thousand towels and call it a day — depending on how much of the sub was finished, the water could have caused serious damage throughout. It will likely take months or longer before China can resume the boat's construction, if that's even possible. It's unclear how long the sinking will setback China's plans to expand its submarine force at this time. Still, China will likely move past the problem as quickly and efficiently as possible to remain as close to schedule as it can.