[neverdem]

DigitalGlobe
A satellite image of China's secret underground nuclear submarine base on Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

[Sherman Logan]

China has secretly built an underground nuclear submarine base in the South China Sea, posing a new threat to powers in the region — a development the Pentagon says it has known about for at least two years.

Not all THAT secret, apparently.

[purpleraine]

I thought Bond blew that place up in 1962.

Really, how do you build a secret base in the age of satellites and such?

The article itself contradicts the headline.

[CindyDawg]

Doesn’t sound like a secret to me.

[lonestar67]

shhh

its a secret

[JasonC]

Has everyone else noticed that lately the Chinese have been acting exactly like cartoonish movie villains, in every respect?

[gogov]

If it is secret, how come it is posted here on FR. Shhhhhhh! Don’t tell anyone.

[Nateman]

This evil submarine base brought to you by Bill and Hill, masters of treason , lying, and just about any other rotten thing you can think of.

[Dr.Zoidberg]

The secret isn’t the base, the secret is how many ballistic missile submarines they have in dock or how many they have managed to get into deep water between satellite passes.

If we can’t see the slips, we can’t tell if they have everything in the underground base or if they have all steamed out on a first strike mission.

When the time comes, the chinese aren’t going to telegraph it. They will attempt a decapitation strike before sending out their surface navy.

[17th Miss Regt]

One thought might be to quietly emplace captor mines a dozen or so miles off the coast waiting for activation orders. Then put listening devices on the floor under the egress route.

[dragnet2]

How come no one is calling for bombing this nuclear target?

Is it because Communist China is our friend? Walmart? Olympics?

[endthematrix]

"Defense Secretary Robert Gates visited China last November, he was given a tour of the Forbidden City — but not given answers about China’s growing military budget"

LOL! Anyone else find that funny?

[nw_arizona_granny]

Ping.

[stevie_d_64]

Call me a cynic...Or just someone who takes pictures like this at face value...

But it looks to me like the opening into the side of the coast there is a bit above mean sea level???

Unless the Chinese have developed some sort of new propulsion device that gives their subs a “Flipper” manuever...I’m not sure how the subs are going to get inside the barn there...

Yes, for some reason I see a road (bridge) going across the front of that opening...But that looks like a problem waiting to happen when they need that bridge to work and it decides to break down...

Not much secrecy here...

You 007’ers are really cracking me up though!!! ;-)

[bert]

It is widely believed in the intelligence community that the Chinese used stolen plans for a secret American sub base for the construction.

Disney/ABC revealed that the plans were actually those used in the movie 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.