The Shang class is a family of Chinese second-generation nuclear-powered attack submarines (SSNs). The Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLA) has six of these submarine types in service that make up the backbone of its submarine fleets. The more advanced Chinese subs like the Type 093A and Type 093B SSNs are upgraded versions of the Type 093.
The reports of the submarine crash surfaced just days after Beijing launched large-scale military drills around Taiwan amidst months of heightened tension between China, Taiwan, and the US.
The experts the EurAsian Times spoke to said that knowing Beijing’s penchant for projecting strength, it will try to hide the incident. They added that incidents like these have a way of coming to the surface.
“The answer is it can hide but for how long – many Chinese disasters will give you a clue of how news is disseminated in a delayed manner,” the former commander-in-chief of both the Eastern and Western Naval Command Vice Admiral AB Singh told the EurAsian Times.
Another Indian Navy official said, requesting anonymity, that people would do good to remember how China initially tried to hide the Galwan clash despite numerous casualties on both sides.
China
revealed the casualties of its soldiers in 2021, almost a year after the Galwan clash between Indian and Chinese troops along the Himalayan border. Besides this, the cover-up of the onset of the pandemic has shaken the world’s trust in China.
The official added: “But incidents like these cannot be hidden for long, especially if there have been casualties. This information of sinking (if it did) would probably already be available to intelligence agencies. Maybe it is a matter of time when it comes into the public domain.”
It has been proving difficult to ascertain the truth of the matter as there is a possibility that the submarine was submerged when the tragedy struck. It eluded the numerous satellites in the sky.
“If the submarine was submerged when it sank, then yes (it would evade satellites). But there are so many other ways through which a submarine’s absence would be felt. And if the mishap has happened in Taiwan strait, its depth is shallow and, in most parts divers, can also go down and investigate if the area is known,” the official added.
Among the signs that will lead to unraveling the mystery of a sunken submarine (if it happened) is the absence of crews and their families missing them. “Submarine not returning to base port, the number of submarines present there. These can be discerned by satellites,” the Indian Navy official concluded.