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Second Chinese UUV Mothership Identified at Guangzhou Shipyard

New imagery suggests China is building multiple specialized ships capable of launching or recovering very large uncrewed underwater vehicles, a development that could extend its undersea reach.

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3D model of submarine
Although the hull shape of the vessel spotted in the Pearl River differs to that in a Shanghai shipyard, both feature raised deckhouses towards the bow, hangar-like spaces and large openings at the stern. Photo: Handout

Overview

  • Images published Oct. 18–19 showed a second naval auxiliary in Guangzhou with a stern garage, hangar, flight deck, and lifting masts matching an earlier Hudong ship and indicating a UUV mothership design.
  • Archival satellite photos place the Guangzhou hull at Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI/COMEC) on Longxue Island before launch, while the first similar ship was built at Hudong in Shanghai.
  • The Guangzhou vessel is noticeably smaller at about 150 metres with six lifting towers, compared with the Shanghai unit that exceeds roughly 200 metres and has a different mast layout.
  • Verification checks find the social‑media stills and commercial imagery likely genuine but incomplete, and analysts say the ships’ exact onboard systems, payloads, and operational roles remain unconfirmed.
  • If these motherships operate with very large UUVs (roughly 35–50 metres), they could enable long‑range mapping, surveillance, mine and anti‑submarine work or weapon carriage, which would change operational reach and pose new challenges for U.S. and regional defenses.