90 Days Underwater - Part：1
The Extreme Long Voyage of China's Nuclear Submarine
Original Title： 水下90天：中国核潜艇的极限长航
Author: 宋春丹
Translator: M.O.S.S.(Proofread with AI)
Chinese Navy Han-class nuclear submarine
Preparing for the Voyage
In 1984, the nuclear submarine unit was assigned the "0990" test mission1. The "0990" test mission was an assessment of maximum self-sustainability, also known as a "长航long voyage".
The theoretical design data for China's nuclear submarines allowed for 90 consecutive days of navigation2, but whether this design target could be achieved needed to be tested in practice. Like the first Antarctic expedition3, the "0990" test became a national-level test mission.
With the approval of the Central Military Commission and the Navy, it was decided that the Crew Team 11 of the 403 torpedo nuclear submarine would carry out the mission4.
After China's first nuclear submarine (hull number 401) was delivered to the Navy in 1974, the First Submarine Flotilla of the PLAN North Sea Fleet was established. The attack nuclear submarines 402 and 403, and the ballistic missile nuclear submarine 406 were also successively launched and commissioned into the force. In 1984, the designation of the First Submarine Flotilla was changed to the Navy's Qingdao Submarine Base.
The nuclear submarine unit had previously conducted several navigation training sessions lasting more than 30 days and nights, but these were not on the same scale as 90 days and nights. Therefore, the North Sea Fleet set up a long-voyage preparation team.
Crew Team 11 is the first crew team of China's nuclear submarine force. At the end of 1984, adjustments were made to the leading group of the crew. Political Commissar Hou Deshan was too old to carry out the long-voyage mission, so Chang Baolin, the political commissar of the 406 ballistic missile nuclear submarine, was appointed as the political commissar.
At this point, the leading group of the Crew Team 11 was fully formed. The captain was Sun Jianguo, the political commissar was Chang Baolin, the trainee captain was Liu Yi, the deputy captains were Cheng Wenzhao and Jiang Songcai, and the deputy political commissar was Li Minxin. Captain Sun Jianguo focused on training and material preparation, while Political Commissar Chang Baolin was responsible for the personnel situation, long-voyage education, and ideological mobilization.
Six cadre members of Submarine 403 took a group photo at the port before departure. In the front row, from left to right: Chang Baolin (Political Commissar), Sun Jianguo (Captain), Liu Yi (Trainee Captain); in the back row, from left to right: Li Minxin (Deputy Political Commissar), Cheng Wenzhao (Deputy Captain), Jiang Songcai (Deputy Captain).
Photo / Provided by the interviewee
After taking office, Chang Baolin first got familiar with the more than 140 to 150 crew members of the entire submarine. In less than a week, he memorized all the rosters and found out the basic situation, attitudes, and professional abilities of each person.
At that time, the main concerns of the crew were the danger of the long voyage and its harm to the body. The probability of a serious accident occurring during a 90-day voyage was very high, and excessive radiation, harmful gases, and noise of over 100 decibels were extremely harmful to the human body.
Regarding the political and economic treatment they would receive for participating in the long voyage, everyone thought it would be at least no less than that of the Antarctic expedition. While instilling in the soldiers the ideas of "为人民服务 serving the people", “纪念白求恩 commemorating Bethune"5, and "雷锋事迹 the deeds of Lei Feng6", the submarine leaders also made great efforts to strive for benefits for everyone from the fleet and the navy. They reported the situation at every meeting and also wrote written reports.
The submarine leaders told everyone that through the long voyage, participating cadres might be promoted and reused, and many would become successors to the leadership of the nuclear submarine force, and even the fleet and navy; Volunteer soldiers7 can be transferred to regular cadres, creating conditions for their family members to be relocated to the military camp8; soldiers and veterans can be transferred to volunteer soldiers, and eligible soldiers can be given preferential treatment for college enrollment.; crew members who wanted to join the Party could join the Party on the spot during the long voyage, or in batches9. All participants would be recorded in the naval history, awarded merits and prizes; the superior department would give certain material compensation for the life risks taken and physical injuries suffered.
To dispel the crew's doubts, Chang Baolin also invited Lin Youlai, the head of the service department, to give lectures on radiation dose, nutrition, and maritime health care.
A photo of Lin Youlai preparing dumpling fillings during this voyage
(photographed by Li Minxin)
After systematic education, the crew handed in more than 100 letters of determination and suggestions. 39 veteran soldiers voluntarily served beyond their term, 70 league members（Member of the Communist Youth League of China）submitted applications to join the Party, 21 cadres postponed their vacations, and some even postponed their wedding dates.
The first inspection voyage was planned to go to sea for 7 days, but it was forced to return due to a primary loop failure in less than 4 days, which dealt a heavy blow to the crew's confidence. After returning, the fault was checked, and the second inspection voyage went relatively smoothly.
Life-saving coordination training was divided into transfer coordination training and coordination training with helicopters. If a special situation occurred during the long voyage, such as a critically ill patient or an injured person on the submarine who could not be treated, they would need to be transferred to land for treatment, or urgently needed spare parts would be transported by a supply ship.
Data on long voyages of nuclear submarines from the Soviet Union and the United States showed that as the voyage time continued, the physical condition of the crew would deteriorate day by day. Cheng Wenzhao, together with Lin Youlai, the head of the service department, and Sun Hushan, a military doctor, purchased the best non-staple foods, and the navy also sent nutritionists from the Food Research Institute to participate in the long voyage on the submarine.
Long-voyage food mainly consisted of various canned foods, including three kinds of fruit cans: oranges, pineapples, and pears; several kinds of vegetable cans: gherkins, lettuce, carrots, etc., with each crew member getting one jin (0.5 kg) per day. Fruit cans, which could adjust the taste, were very popular. Carrot cans were not popular because of their bad taste. Anchovy cans were the most popular. The staple foods were sweet and salty biscuits and baked steamed bread slices packed in iron buckets. Although a lot of long-voyage food was carried, the main way was to rely on the cooks to prepare meals. The staple foods were mainly rice and noodles, and the non-staple foods included pork, fish, prawns, eggs, etc. Due to the limited volume of the cold storage, there were few fresh vegetables, and most of the vegetables carried were dehydrated ones that had lost their original flavor. Every available space on the submarine was piled with bags of rice.
The base also specially made quick-drying and breathable nylon silk outer covers, long-voyage uniforms, woolen boat-shaped caps, and embroidered armbands for the crew.
The navigation plan was formulated by Ren Debao, the navigation chief of the base headquarters. The navigation route, navigation area, turning points, etc., were all marked on the nautical chart and then reported to the superior.
The specific plan of the long voyage was top-secret, known only to the headquarters and the senior leaders of the submarine. The specific departure time was notified only when it was approaching, and only the navigation target was issued before that. Many actions were conveyed after going to sea.
Before departure, the participants underwent extremely careful physical examinations and records were made.
There were 125 participants in total, including 110 crew members, 9 leaders from the organ and those going to sea with the submarine, 3 from the naval fleet organ, 1 military representative, and 2 from the Naval Food Research Institute. A temporary maritime Party committee was established on the ship10, consisting of 5 people: Yang Xi, deputy commander of the base; Sun Chengqin, director of the political department; Yang Jinkui, deputy chief of staff; Sun Jianguo, captain; and Chang Baolin, political commissar, with Yang Xi as the secretary.
Deputy Commander Yang Xi (left) and Probationary Captain Liu Yi (middle) inspecting machinery and analyzing faults.
Photo provided by the interviewee
This test was first to assess the submarine, and second to assess the crew. Zhang Qiguang, the navigation chief, told China Newsweek that like most crew members, he felt unsure.
Before departure, all crew members signed military orders. Many crew members wrote wills, and almost everyone took a photo at the port, which, in the eyes of many, was likely to be their last photo.
（To be continued）
A solo photo of soldier Wang Qingjiang with Submarine 403 before the long voyage. Almost everyone took such a photo.
The meaning of this code can be interpreted as "09" (referring to nuclear submarines) and "90" (90-day voyage).
The data of the Type 091 nuclear submarine. In the words of the soldiers serving on this type of nuclear submarine: "At that time, many pieces of equipment on the submarine were products from the 1970s. They had frequent malfunctions, low reliability and stability, and were not fully equipped for long-voyage tests."
In November 1984, China's first Antarctic expedition team set off officially. Nearly 600 team members traveled to the Antarctic and built China's first Antarctic research station, “长城站 Great Wall Station", within 45 days.
The background of this project was that the Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1959, was to expire in 1991. China speculated that the development of Antarctic resources would become a new international focus by then. In the words of a participant, "（Whether we can establish an Antarctic research station） is related to national honor and national dignity."
A possible reason for selecting Submarine 403 for the mission is that it was a new submarine that had just been launched in 1983. It is worth mentioning that the submarine began to be refitted in 1998 and was recommissioned in 2000. It may still be in service today, used for training missions.
Henry Norman Bethune (March 4, 1890 [or March 3] – November 12, 1939), male, was born in Gravenhurst, Ontario, Canada. He was a famous thoracic surgeon, a member of the Communist Party of Canada, and is known as "a great friend of the Chinese people".
In January 1938, he led a medical team from Canada and the United States to China. On November 12, 1939, he died in Hebei due to ineffective treatment of sepsis at the age of 49.
Lei Feng (18 December 1940 – 15 August 1962) was a soldier in the PLA and is a communist legend in China. After his death, Lei was characterized as a selfless and modest person devoted to the Communist Party, Mao Zedong, and the people of China.
Lei Feng and Bethune remain to this day typical models of "sacrificing oneself for the collective".
It refers to soldiers in China's military service system who voluntarily extend their service period or serve for a long time on the basis of compulsory military service. They usually have certain professional skills, and their treatment and responsibilities are between those of conscripts and officers.
The original term "家属随军" refers to a policy where eligible relatives of military personnel (such as spouses, children, etc.) can, after approval, transfer their household registration to the place where the soldier is serving. The military or relevant local departments then provide supporting guarantees in terms of living, employment, education, and other aspects. In China at that time, this meant access to better living conditions.
In the normal course of events, joining the Party requires going through a series of procedures such as application, training, inspection and approval, which takes a relatively long time.
In accordance with the conventional requirements for the establishment of Party organizations, the formation of a Party committee usually requires an organizational foundation such as a relatively stable unit or region, and it should be established in a standardized manner after being formally approved by the higher-level Party organization. Given the particularity of this operation, special arrangements were made.