中國建造世界最大潛艇工廠

China is building a factory so big that when it's done, it will be able to accommodate the construction of four submarines at once-out of sight from military enthusiasts and spy satellites alike.

中國正在建造的這個工廠是如此之大，一旦完成，可以同時建造四艘潛艇——軍迷和間諜衛星都看不到。

According to Popular Science, Bohai Shipbuilding Heavy Industrial Corporation is building the plant in Huludao, Liaoning Province. The place will have two parallel assembly lines. The gigantic hall reportedly is where China will begin construction on is latest attack submarine, the Type 095.

根據大衆科學網站報道，渤海造船重工集團正在遼寧葫蘆島建造這個工廠。該工廠將有兩條平行的組裝線。據報道中國將在這裏建造其最新型的攻擊潛艇095型。

Despite having control over its Internet and press, the Chinese government has had enduring problems with military enthusiasts sneaking pictures of new ships and aircraft under development or construction. While some of this is useful to telegraph China's broader intentions and give a hint of its capabilities, the rest of it is considered a nuisance. Building an indoor submarine factory keeps sensitive subjects such as the hull shape of a submarine or even the propeller design a secret.

儘管控制着網絡和媒體，中國政府依然無法阻止軍迷偷拍建造中的新艦艇和飛機。雖然其中有些可以用來宣傳中國更廣泛的意圖和宣示自己的實力，但是其餘的那些則被認爲是令人討厭的泄密行爲。所以建造一個室內的工廠就可以保守祕密，比如潛艇的外殼形狀或者螺旋槳的設計樣式。

This does not necessarily mean China now has a submarine-building edge over the U.S. The U.S. Navy commissions about two submarines a year, each of which takes about three years to build. That puts U.S. submarine construction at about six at a time, ahead of this factory's four. Of course, China builds submarines at other locations too, and may even build them a little faster.

這並不意味着現在中國在潛艇製造上對美國有優勢。美國海軍每年大約服役兩艘新潛艇，每艘三年時間製造。也就是說美國一次建造6艘潛艇，領先於中國這個工廠的4艘。當然，中國也在其他地點建造潛艇，而且建造的速度可能會更快點。

Speed isn't everything. Even if China ends up capable of building more submarines per year than the United States can, there's the question of quality. The Type 095 is expected to be quieter that the second tranche of Los Angeles-class attack submarines that were built in the late 1980s, and Russian Victor III or Akula-class submarines built in the early 1980s.

但速度並非一切。即使中國每年的潛艇建造量多於美國，質量上不一定好。這款095潛艇預計比80年代末期建造的第二批洛杉磯級攻擊潛艇以及80年代初期建造的俄羅斯阿庫拉級潛艇更安靜。

In other words, China is approximately 30 years behind the United States in submarine quieting technology. Chinese submarines in the 1980s were about as quiet as American submarines from the 1950s, while modern American submarines such as the Seawolf orVirginia-class boats are so quiet they're described as "quieter at 25 knots than the Los Angeles class at pierside." This is not a field where China has been able to close the gap.

換言之，中國在潛艇靜音技術上幾乎落後美國30年。80年代中國潛艇和50年代美國潛艇一樣安靜，而現代美國潛艇比如海狼和佛吉尼亞非常之安靜，被形容爲“25節速度航行時都比在碼頭區的洛杉磯級潛艇安靜。”在這一領域中國還無法縮小差距。