Second Chinese Submarine Drone Mothership Emerges at Guangzhou Shipyard

A second suspected Chinese uncrewed underwater vehicle (UUV) mothership has emerged in new imagery from Guangzhou, revealing that China now has two such vessels nearly complete. Archival satellite imagery from October 2 confirms the new vessel was constructed at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) on Longxue Island, a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). The Guangzhou ship shares a nearly identical configuration with the earlier vessel built at Hudong-Zhonghua Shipyard in Shanghai, including a flight deck, hangar, stern garage door, and well deck, but appears to be about a third smaller overall and carries 6 lift towers instead of the Shanghai vessel's 6 larger and 6 smaller towers. The emergence of a second specialized tender — amid rumors of a broader shipbuilding program — contrasts with the U.S. Navy, which currently has nothing similar in its inventory as U.S. forces test smaller uncrewed surface vessels and keep large UUV recovery at the conceptual stage.