• Three finger jetties of approx 300m length on the eastern side, for accommodating six to 12 of China’s new submarines (including the Jin class (Type 094) SSBN, or the Shang class (Type 093) SSN). This dedicated area is protected by a boundary wall which also houses buildings for laboratories to monitor radiation levels of personnel or equipment entering or leaving this restricted area, and also for providing power, water, airconditioning, etc to the submarines in harbour. Outside the perimeter wall can be seen more buildings, which presumably house facilities for maintenance, logistics, accommodation, simulators, workshops for storing conventional torpedoes etc. A large covered building possibly indicates the location of one or two covered dry docks for maintenance of the submarines.

• The internet reports various caverns about 20 m high, and an analysis of one such photograph indicates that these may lead to “covered submarine finger jetties” where the 12m high nuclear tipped, 8000 KM range JL-2 SLBM, can be embarked, without being detected by spy satellites. These caverns are likely to be linked to one or more of the 11 tunnels reported and photographed. These tunnels are likely to lead to underground storages for nuclear and conventional warheads and also for SLBMs. Thus, a JL-2 SLBM, mated with its single 1000 KT or three smaller 150 KT MIRV nuclear warheads could be transported to the cavern for embarking the Jin class SSBN.

• Considering that China is expected to have five each Jin and Shang class by 2010-15, it can be presumed that the tunnels leading to underground storage facilities would store a large number of nuclear and conventional warheads.

... contd.