Second Possible Chinese UUV Mothership Appears In Guangzhou

Images from Guangzhou appear to show a second large Chinese vessel with features potentially suited to deploying and recovering uncrewed underwater vehicles. The newly observed hull is estimated at roughly 150 metres long, compared with an approximately 200-metre vessel previously photographed in Shanghai, and carries six prominent structures near the stern rather than twelve. An open aft arrangement may provide space for handling underwater craft, but the exact purpose of the structures and associated equipment is unknown. No Chinese authority has identified the Guangzhou ship as a UUV mothership, confirmed its payload or established that either vessel is operational.