Mysterious ships appear in Chinese ports, full of mysteries

Is China disguising its scientific research vessel as an aircraft carrier? Aerial photos of the shipyard fuel speculation.

Thomas Vanhove/t-online

China is apparently building a new aircraft carrier, but it will be built differently than in the past. Planet Labs satellite images have discovered a mysterious ship at a shipyard in the south of the country.

The photo shows the outline of a ship, but it has a strange appearance. Thomas Shugart, a former U.S. Navy submarine commander and current fellow at the Center for a New American Security, told CNN that the ship was “somewhat unusual in shape and size and much smaller than China's previous aircraft carriers.”

Maybe an amphibious assault ship too?

The TWZ website also reported on the ship. It is even smaller than the amphibious assault ships known to the Chinese Navy, but could also have this capability. Amphibious assault ships also have large decks. One theory as to why the ship is so much smaller than the aircraft carriers commonly known as floating fortresses is that China disguised it as a research vessel. There were hints of this at Platform X two years ago, where drawings of a similar-looking ship appeared that would allegedly be used for scientific missions.

Scientific research institutions with military purposes

But Beijing has repeatedly built research ships and other facilities with obvious military uses. Examples include drone ships used for ocean research, but TWZ reports they could also be used to launch military drones. The situation is similar for underwater measuring devices. According to Chinese information, they should be used for environmental protection. But you can also track enemy submarines. Zhou Huaiyang, a professor at Tongji University's School of Marine and Earth Sciences, told China Central Television that in addition to scientific research, the underwater system could also be used in “other fields such as mining, surveying and mapping, maritime rights protection and national defense.” .

New length 200 meters

The new ship is currently berthed in Guangzhou Port. American researcher Tom Shugart first spotted it in pictures. According to him, the unusual ship is about 200 meters long and 40 meters wide.

It appears to have a larger main superstructure to the right of middeck and a smaller main superstructure forward of the bow. Shugart said in an interview with “The War Zone” that there may also be an exhaust pipe on the right side of the deck toward the stern. He also emphasized that there is an angular mast structure on the main island, which is usually used on warships to install radar equipment and other sensors.

Footage from the port in May has yet to show the ship, so it appears to have been hastily built. It first appeared in dry dock in August. At the same time, there are photos of the Chinese Navy's new trimaran, the trimaran.

China has long been upgrading its navy. The backdrop is also believed to be tensions in the Indo-Pacific region. China has repeatedly threatened military action against Taiwan. But there are also growing conflicts with South China Sea neighbors over who owns which areas. China claims a large portion of its territory despite resistance from the Philippines and Vietnam.

Sources used: