China’s ‘god of submarines’ just an April Fool’s Day joke
- Military website provokes consternation with spoof story of giant submarine armed with 48 ballistic missiles
- After Global Times debunks the story, Naval News confirms it was made up
A military website launched an April Fool’s Day joke with a spoof report saying China had developed a super submarine capable of carrying “ginormous” nuclear-powered torpedoes.
After the report sparked wide and attention and mockery, including a detailed debunking by nationalist tabloid Global Times, the Naval News website carried a follow-up story confirming the news was a prank.
The original story described the “god of submarines” as being about 210 metres (690 feet) long and 30 metres across, and said it was believed to be a “Type-100 ‘Sun Tzu’ class which had been launched from the Bohai Shipyard in Huludao, China on April 1. In addition to the “ginormous” torpedoes, the vessel was said to carry 48 ballistic missiles, making it “the most heavily armed in the world”.
“The new submarine is expected to be the centrepiece of a massive military parade in Beijing as part of the CCP’s 100 year celebrations in July,” the report said.
On its official WeChat account, Global Times on Friday said the report was full of errors.
“The submarine’s model, type and even name don’t fit Chinese pattern and tradition. And the purpose of building this submarine is for the Chinese Communist Party’s 100th anniversary is illogical too, as Major General Li Jun already said China won’t hold a military parade this year,” it said.
