Happy New Year - Brought to you by PLA-N's Nuclear Submarine Service

1. Next year (tomorrow, 1 January 2017) Submarine Matters will introduce much more content and
comment concerning China's People's Liberation Army Navy (PLA-N) submarine service.

Much more needs to be written. Chinese censorship, major language differences and some Chinese, US and Taiwanese political exaggeration make Chinese submarines a particularly difficult information target.

2017 will be an interesting year in which new President Trump may attempt to roll back China's advances in:

-  the "South Sea" (China's term)
-  failing that the Western world already favour China by mislabelling "South China Sea"
-  "East Sea" (Vietnam's term) and
-  West Philippine Sea.

I suggest everyone call it the East Sea. What do you think?

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2. Youtube

This Youtube is the Anthem of the Chinese Nuclear Submarine Service. The lyrics need work, so I've  further translated them into more memorable English:

We are the shield of peace, guarding our Nation. 

We are in every part of the ocean.
Ever loyal to the Motherland. 

We are a vessel of iron and steel.
Launching Thunder from the deep! 

Let the enemy be completely destroyed, by storm and fire! 

Chinese Navy nuclear submarine.
We serve in the deep sea. 

With our sacrifice, written in blood.
Our certain deaths will be remembered!

When I die in my steel coffin

Think only this of me Mother

That there is a bit of seafloor in the East Sea
That is for a moment China’s.

Here’s hoping none of the superpowers (China or the US) go to war. They can both generate wealth and care for their people, peacefully.

3. Video action in above Youtube.

-  0 to 40 seconds in - two of the active but totally obsolete Type 091 Han class SSNs

    (Numbers 404 and 405) feature. These are noisy, dangerously radioactive to their
    long-suffering crews, but not bad for a first attempt at building a class of SSN.

-  45 seconds in - what appears to be the test of a Chinese JL-1 SLBM. Launched from a

    submerged test stand or a Type 092 or Type 094 SSBN.

-  1 min 7 secs in - on the surface is the only Type 092 SSBN. It has a much longer fin/sail 

    than the 094s.

-  2:25 a warhead or two from an SLBM destroy a city (A bit violent even for nuclear war!)

-  3:37 This SSBN's number (406) indicates it is the Type 092.

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4.  I think Auld Lang Syne is over-used and over-rated :) I reckon this is a better Happy New Year
       song from ABBA - introduced by blonde Agnetha Fältskog:

Happy New Year to you all.

Pete