Chinese submarine 361

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The submarine hull number No. 361 is a Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy Type-035AIP (ES5E variant) (NATO reporting name Ming III) conventional diesel/electric submarine. It was reported to have suffered an accident killing all on board in 2003 while at in the Bo Hei Sea between North Korea, and eastern Shandong Province of China.

No. 361 was part of the 12th Brigade of the North Sea (Bo Hei) Fleet of the PLAN based at Lu Shun (formerly Port Arthur) in the Liao Ning Province.

The loss of the crew of submarine No. 361 is the worst declared peacetime military disaster in the history of communist China.

1 Ming class
2 Incident
3 Mystery
4 Impact
5 Quotes
6 Specifications
7 External links

[edit] Ming class

The Ming class of Chinese submarines are an adaptation of the diesel/electric Romeo class submarine built in the Soviet Union, which are based on the German Type-21 U-boat of World War II.

The Central Military Commission ordered the building of the Ming class submarines in 1967 as Project 035. The construction of the first began during October, 1969 at Wuhan Shipyard. The last boat was built in 2002. A total of 20 boats were built, of which 17 are left, and most serve in the North Sea Fleet. No. 361 serving the East Sea Fleet was the thirteenth and was built in 1995 making it one of the newest in the fleet.

CNN reports that China is increasing training and exercises of its submarines in the east to carry out a policy of "sea denial" to try counter the powerful U.S. Pacific fleet [1]. The location of the incident (see below), the Bo Hei Sea is very strategic for China. It is the closest sea outlet to Beijing, and one of the busiest sea routes in the world.

[edit] Incident

According to the official Chinese news agency, Xinhua the submarine was taking part in exercises east of Neichangshan islands in the Bo Hei Sea (渤海) of Northeastern China. [2].

On April 16, 2003, all 70 crew members of the submarine were killed when the diesel engine failed to shut down when the boat submerged and used up all the oxygen in the boat.

According to Xinhua on May 2, 2003, the crippled boat was discovered by Chinese fishermen on April 25, 2003, when they noticed the periscope sticking out. The submarine was then towed initially to Yulin on Hainan Island, and later towed back to the northeast seaport of Dalian. The submarine was drifting for ten days because it was on a silent, no-contact drill.

[edit] Mystery

A number of issues arose with this incident:

Michael McGinty, an expert on the Chinese navy at the Royal United Services Institute for Defense Studies in London and a former British submariner[3], said "The accident likely happened while the submarine was on the surface. If the accident happened when the boat was under water, it was less likely China could have recovered it." This contradicts the official version that the submarine was submerged.

One leading theory for the accident is called, engine run-on casualty. This happens when the diesel engines are still running while the submarine is submerged, instead of switching to electric motors. This results in the diesels sucking oxygen out of the inside of the submarine, suffocating the crew. But this is dismissed because the original Russian design of this submarine has a device that cuts off diesel fuel supply to the engines if it detects a drop in barometric pressure inside the hull.

Another theory is that seawater seeped into the batteries creating a toxic environment via deadly chlorine gas that could kill an entire crew while on the surface. Again, chlorine gas does not kill instantly. Chlorine gas also has a very distinctive smell.

Other military commentators also pointed out that the sea water outside of the Liaodong Peninsula was only one to two hundred meters deep, which was considered shallow for a submarine.

Also, all submarines have multiple escape hatches. So the inability of any of the crew to escape is also considered puzzling.

The Chairman was shown visiting the submarine at Dalian during the first week of May. The submarine was very clean during the visit, which made observers wonder if it was the original.

The usual complement of a Ming-class submarine is 9 officers and 46 crew. So the existence of 15 additional personnel onboard is puzzling, but maybe related to the exercises. It has been speculated that the submarine was testing an AIP system when the accident occurred.

[edit] Impact

CMC Vice-chairman Guo Boxiong led an enquiry into the incident, which resulted in the dismissal of four senior PLAN officers, Navy Commander Shi Yunsheng, Political Commissar Yang Huaiqing, North Sea Fleet Commander Ding Yiping, and North Sea (Bei Hai) Fleet Political Commissar Chen Xianfeng on June 13, 2003. The official verdict was improper “command and control”.

[edit] Quotes

“The officers and sailors of 361 remembered their sacred duty entrusted to them by the Party and the People. They died on duty, sacrificed themselves for the country, and they are great losses to the People’s Navy.” - Chairman Jiang Zemin, Central Military Commission in a condolence message to families of the dead, 2 May 2003.

[edit] Specifications

Displacement (Surface): 1,584 t
Displacement (Submerged): 2,113 t
Length: 76 m
Beam: 7.6 m
Draft: 5.1 m
Speed: (Surfaced) 15 knots, (Dived) 18 knots
Diving Depth: N/A
Endurance: N/A
Crew: 55 (9 officers)
Engines: 2 Shaanxi 6E 390 ZC1 diesel rated at 5,200 hp (3.82 MW), with 2 Xiangtan alternators and 2 shafts.

The submarine has six torpedo tubes at the bow, two at the stern, and two propellers. It was designed by No. 701 Institute as the first Chinese-designed submarine class.