'55 Chinese navy men die underwater after falling into 'own trap' laid down to catch US, NATO vessels'

As many as 55 Chinese navy men aboard a submarine with the number 093-417 are thought to have perished in an accident that happened in the Yellow Sea near Shandong Province in China.

According to British intelligence, on August 21, 2023, a “catastrophic” breakdown of the oxygen systems aboard the vessel claimed the lives of the submariners. China has denied that the incident ever happened, although.

As per reports, however, British intelligence, has reasons to believe that a subsea system malfunction resulted in hypoxia-related death.

According to the report, the submarine struck a chain and anchor impediment that the Chinese PLA Navy deployed to capture US and NATO submarines.

“This led to system malfunctions, which required six hours to fix and raise the boat to the surface. Following a disastrous malfunction, the crew was poisoned by the oxygen system aboard,” it said.

Beijing insists the incident is a rumor, while the United Kingdom has refrained from commenting on the stories’ authenticity due to their intelligence basis.

In the event that the submarine encountered its own chain and anchor trap and its batteries were depleted, it is probable that the air treatment and purification systems would finally malfunction.

Not every nation has access to the same technology, despite the fact that US and UK submarines are equipped with equipment that converts carbon dioxide into oxygen, enabling them to stay submerged for extended periods of time.

The “chain and anchor” is a tool used to submerge and destroy opposing ships. The concept is straightforward: two anchors that are lowered into the seafloor are connected to a heavy chain made of metal balls and other things that can extend many miles in length.

The PLA Navy’s reported event demonstrates how the weight and size of the chain can seriously harm a ship’s rudder and propeller, causing the submarine to be delayed for hours or even days. This can be fatal for both the crew and the ship. The trap may even be used to drag the submarine to the ocean floor.

Ports, shipping channels, and other sensitive or critical locations are guarded by these kinds of chain and anchor traps.

According to the British intelligence paper, the purpose of this specific trap was presumably to capture American or British spy submarines that were conducting operations off the coast of China.

The province of Shandong, which is around the size of New York City, is home to numerous cities with populations over 9 million. The province’s major city, Qingdao, is home to 10 million people.

The Yellow Sea is another strategically significant body of water along the Chinese coast, even though the majority of the world’s attention has been focused on Chinese naval actions in the South China Sea, particularly the waterways between Taiwan and mainland China.

In these waterways, which the nation shares with North and South Korea and Japan, commercial fishing, oil and gas development, and commercial trading are all significant activities. Another vital supply line that connects China and Russia—which provides the People’s Republic with nuclear material for making nuclear warheads—is the Yellow Sea.

For the PLA Navy, 093-417’s loss is significant. Because it operates more quietly and is equipped with more sophisticated weapons, like as anti-ship missiles and modern, advanced torpedoes, it is among the fleet’s more sophisticated submarines.