Significant PLA Navy submarine facility spotted

East-Asia-Intel ^ | 4/28/2010 | East-Asia-Intel

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

A private researcher last week identified a major Chinese submarine demagnetization facility near the East China Sea fleet submarine base.

The new demagnetization facility is located less than 10 km from the Kilo submarine base at Maocao Nong approximately 40 km southeast of Ningbo in the Zhejiang province.

Hans M. Kristensen, a project director at the Federation of American Scientists in Washington, said the facility is the second base used by China’s navy for submarine operations since 2008.

The new facility is less than six miles from China’s base for Russian-made Kilo submarines at Moacao Nong, southeast of Ningbo, Zhejiang Province.

Satellite photos of the area show seven Kilo submarines, nearly a third of the 19 diesel electric subs in the East Sea Fleet.

The facility is the second demagnetization base for submarines. The first was spotted in 2008 near Yulin on Hainan Island. The facility removes residual magnetic fields from metal to make it harder to detect by other submarines and surface ships.

The demagnetization facilities are key targets of military intelligence since they indicate when a submarine will be deployed.

Demagnetization also reduces vulnerability to mines that are detonated by magnetic signals from metal hulls and also serves to improve speed.

“Whatever the motivation, the construction of demagnetization facilities at China’s fleets are clear tell-signs of the cat-and-mouse game that is in full swing in the region between the naval forces of China and the United States and its Asian allies,” Christensen said.

[neodad]

Also known as a “degaussing” range...

[Ramius]

There’s a degaussing range within a couple of miles of my house.

[Thrownatbirth]

clear tell-signs of the cat-and-mouse game that is in full swing

The range also a good way to count the mice and give them cute names.

[dasboot]

http://www.redlandsfortnightly.org/papers/subm.htm

Long, but fascinating details and history of the process!

[Chode]

[steve86]

also serves to improve speed

Really? Too bad my ZR-1 has a carbon body.

[Little Pig]

It only works underwater anyway. Not too healthy for sports cars.

[hellbender]

Satellite photos of the area show seven Kilo submarines, nearly a third of the 19 diesel electric subs in the East Sea Fleet.

Seven is greater than a third of 19.

[wbarmy]

Not to be too blunt, but these are diesel subs. No matter how quiet or degaussed, we have systems that can track them from consoles in Hawaii that can track them without moving one of our subs one inch. All they are are threats to the Taiwanese navy. To our subs they are practice dummies.

[Strategerist]

Not to be too blunt, but these are diesel subs. No matter how quiet or degaussed, we have systems that can track them from consoles in Hawaii that can track them without moving one of our subs one inch. All they are are threats to the Taiwanese navy. To our subs they are practice dummies.

1) Diesel subs are quieter when they're on battery than nuclear submarines.

2) There are new "Air Independent Technology" Diesel subs that can travel underwater for extended periods without having to snorkel and run the diesels.

3) You're really, really, really wrong.