Drowned or did not? Media reports on the accident on a Chinese nuclear submarine
According to reports of Chinese and some American bloggers and users banned in According to Twitter, a Chinese 093 class submarine (according to the NATO classification «Shan») crashed in the Taiwan Strait. There is information that all crew members were killed.
Some bloggers report that the accident occurred not in the Strait, but in the Yellow Sea, in the waters between China and South Korea.
The Ministry of Defense of Taiwan does not confirm the information about the accident. «The Ministry is closely monitoring the water area around the island and has not registered any incidents, » the press service said. American sources also do not confirm a possible accident off the coast of China.
China does not confirm or deny the current information. The only time the Chinese authorities reported an incident in the fleet was in 2003, when a diesel submarine crashed, and 70 Chinese sailors died. Military analysts were surprised that the CCP decided to make the incident public.
What is the nuclear submarine 093 («Shan» according to the NATO classification)
The Class 093 submarine is a nuclear—powered submarine that is in service with the Navy of the People's Army of China. The laying of the first submarine of this class took place in 2000. From 2013 to 2017, the Chinese produced Class 093A submarines, and from 2018 to 2023 — 093B.
«Shan» has a displacement of 6,096 tons underwater. The length of the boat is 107 m, width — 11 m, draft — 7.5 m.
The submarine is equipped with a water-water nuclear reactor, which allows it to reach speeds of up to 30 knots, or 56 km / h.
The boat has a crew of up to 100 people.
The armament of the submarine includes six 553-mm torpedo tubes capable of taking into service torpedoes Yu-3, Yu-4 and Yu-6. In addition, it is equipped with the YJ-82 anti-ship cruise missile.
It is not known how many nuclear or diesel submarines are in service with China. Some observers 5 years ago believed that by 2020 the submarine fleet of the PLA Navy would have 11 nuclear and 63 diesel-electric submarines, and by 2030 — up to a hundred of all types and classes. Nezavisimaya Gazeta, referring to the data of the commercial company Maxar Technologies, reports that the base of nuclear submarines on Hainan Island has been increased by two more piers for nuclear cruisers.
Hainan is home to the entire fleet of Chinese nuclear submarines equipped with ballistic missiles. We are talking about six submarines of project 094 «Jin», as well as a significant part of the multipurpose submarines of project 093 «Shan».
In 2022, American intelligence agencies reported on the laying of another nuclear-powered submarine project 093B. This is a modified version of the Shan class.
Chinese submarines lag behind American and Russian submarines in terms of noise. Experts say that according to the noise, China is developing ships at the level of the 1970s. However, there is no doubt that by 2030 the Chinese will make great progress in solving this problem, and the lag will be minimal.