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https://nypost.com/2024/09/26/us-news/chinas-new-nuclear-sub-sinks-at-shipyard-suggesting-beijing-is-in-over-its-head/
https://nypost.com/2024/09/26/us-news/chinas-new-nuclear-sub-sinks-at-shipyard-suggesting-beijing-is-in-over-its-head/
China’s new nuclear sub sinks at shipyard — suggesting Beijing is in over its head
By Ronny Reyes and Caitlin Doornbos
Published Sep. 26, 2024, 6:17 p.m. ET
China lost its most advanced nuclear submarine when it sank in a naval yard earlier this year — and it suggests the Communist nation could be in too deep as it tries to build a navy to rival America’s maritime might.
The Chinese Zhou-class, the first of a new class of nuclear-powered attack subs, went down at a shipyard near Wuhan in late May or early June, the Wall Street Journal reports.
The Chinese military has kept quiet about the incident while touting it’s “maritime superiority” in the South China Sea — with eyes on a possible invasion of Taiwan.
Nuclear submarines are capable of running longer and at higher speeds than conventional subs, which China already operates. Attack submarines like the Zhou-class are designed to quietly stalk and attack enemy ships, including US aircraft carrier groups — and slip away without detection.
The Zhou would represent a new, more dangerous capability for China’s People’s Liberation Army Navy.
The submarine sub was likely part of China’s new fleet that was outlined in a Pentagon report last year on China’s military might.
The asserted that China is developing new subs, naval ships and aircraft carriers to counter the US and its allies in the event of an invasion of Taiwan — the self-ruled, democratic Chinese island that Beijing claims is a breakaway province.
Retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, a Foundation for Defending Democracies senior fellow, told The Post that the submarine’s failure would represent “a real setback for China because the first ship in class basically sets the track for the ships to follow.”
“Delays caused by repairing this ship will hinder follow on submarine production,” he said.
Montgomery added that such a production issue is not unheard of; US and Soviet subs sank while docked in the 1960s and 1970s.
“This incident may be a sign of moving too fast, that the PLA-Navy is working hard to catch up to US nuclear submarine capabilities,” said the former commander of America’s carrier strike group in Japan.
The incident was first flagged in July by Thomas Shugart, a former US submarine officer and fellow at the Center for a New American Security, who noted strange actions occurring at the Wuchang Shipyard.
Shugart viewed commercial satellite images depicting a new submarine stationed at the shipyard, with the arrival of floating cranes suggesting something had gone amiss.
The sub, built by the government’s China State Shipbuilding Corp., was floating in the Yangtze River in late May before the cranes arrived, according to the satellite photos.
It remains unclear why the submarine sank, if there were any casualties and whether it was carrying nuclear fuel at the time.
American officials told the WSJ that there were no signs that Chinese officials have been testing the nearby water for radiation.
https://x.com/NavalInstitute/status/1839430363829158369
https://news.usni.org/2024/09/26/doj-notified-of-suspected-intentionally-faulty-welds-on-subs-aircraft-carriers-at-newport-news-shipbuilding
DoJ Notified of Suspected Intentionally Faulty Welds on Subs, Aircraft Carriers at Newport News Shipbuilding - USNI News
From news.usni.org
6:22 PM · Sep 26, 2024
·141.2K Views
B is missing in article on 'Shipbuilder', comm or not, dunno…
Shibuilder Newport News Shipbuilding, Va., informed the Department of Justice of faulty welds that may have been made intentionally on non-critical components on in-service Navy submarines and aircraft carriers, USNI News has learned.
HII reported to the Navy that welds on new construction and in-service submarines and Ford-class aircraft carriers were made not following welding procedure, according to a Tuesday memo from Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition Nickolas Guertin to Secretary of the Navy Carlos Del Toro and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Lisa Franchetti.
Guertin told SECNAV and CNO the workers did not follow proper techniques to weld the suspect joints with an early indication that some of the welding errors were intentional. Based on the Newport News assessment of the welds, the shipyard notified the Department of Justice over the issue.
Portions of Guertin’s memo were first circulated on social media sites on Thursday.
Newport News acknowledged their internal quality assurance systems discovered production problems in a Thursday statement to USNI News
“We recently discovered through internal reporting that the quality of some welds did not meet our high-quality standards. Upon this discovery, we took immediate action to communicate with our customers and regulators, investigate, determine root cause, bound these matters and insert immediate corrective actions to prevent any recurrence of these issues,” reads the statement.
“HII’s Newport News Shipbuilding is committed to building the highest-quality aircraft carriers and submarines for the U.S. Navy. We do not tolerate any conduct that compromises our company’s values and our mission of delivering ships that safeguard our nation and its sailors.”
The Navy acknowledged the ongoing look into the scope of the welding problem in a Thursday statement to USNI News.
“The Navy is aware of the issue and a thorough evaluation is underway to determine the scope. The safety of our Sailors and our ships is of paramount importance. We are working closely with industry partners to address this situation and will provide additional information when available,” reads the statement.
The Department of Justice did not immediately respond to a request for additional information from USNI News on Thursday on the probe into the welds.
Newport News is one of two nuclear shipyards in the U.S. The yard builds the Ford-class aircraft carriers and the bow and stern sections of the Virginia-class attack submarines and the Columbia-class nuclear ballistic missile submarines in cooperation with General Dynamics Electric Boat.
Shipbuilders across the country have been wrestling with ongoing workforce problems due in part to a green labor pool that was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
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