China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank earlier this year, US officials say

CNN —

China’s newest nuclear-powered submarine sank pierside in the spring and the Chinese Navy tried to conceal the loss, according to two US defense officials.

The attack submarine was the first of its new Zhou-class line of vessels, the official said, under construction at a shipyard near the city of Wuhan. The Zhou-class submarines have a distinctive X-shaped stern, designed to improve maneuverability underwater.

A satellite image from March 10, taken by Maxar Technologies, shows the Zhou-class sub, with its signature x-shape tail, docked at the port. Additional Maxar imagery reviewed by CNN from later in June shows that the sub did not return to the pier.

“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,” said the senior US defense official.

The unusual activity at the shipyard was first noticed by Tom Shugart, an adjunct senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security who routinely studies satellite imagery of Chinese shipyards.

“I’ve never seen a bunch of cranes clustered around (one spot),” Shugart told CNN. “If you go back and look at historical imagery, you can see one crane, but not a bunch clustered there.” In looking at older satellite images of the same shipyard, Shugart also noticed the submarine’s larger size and its distinctive tail, indicating a new class of submarine.

“Usually, those submarines, after they get launched, they’re there at the shipyard for several months in outfitting. And it wasn’t there anymore,” Shugart said.

Beijing has made the modernization of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy and its submarine force one of its highest priorities as it seeks to build a world-class