It was only after the commencement of the reclamation of land project in 2013 that the world had really taken any notice. But their disputes weren’t new. Shang Jiang would have been just as happy to have detonated the entire set of islands, obliterating them, and sending them to the seabed a thousand feet below.
For his people, they represented a line in the sand — a decision to take charge and control of the safety of their sovereign waters and shipping lanes. In a perfect world, there would have been freedom of safe passage within international waters, but with everything at stake, it’s hard to maintain an altruistic view on the human race.
Shan Jiang sighed.
He believed in the good of mankind. But sometimes, that good only came after the iron might of one’s military.
Mentally, he prayed that China’s strong military influence within the region might be that altruistic force.
The history of people in the South China Sea went back centuries, and the conflict had been building since the 19th century. In the early days before World War II, France, Britain, and Japan had tried to claim sovereignty. In modern times, Taiwan, Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei, and China all claimed all or part of the area. Commercial fishing, and considerable oil and gas reserves started the more recent rush, but in the big picture, the country that controlled the Spratly Islands controlled the South China Sea and the region’s ship-borne trade, worth $5 trillion annually. The dredging and land reclamation done by China dwarfed previous efforts to claim the region. In all, China had reclaimed and militarized 3,000 acres of land, all part of a show of strength that Shan Jiang was confident would bring peace to the region.
It was a report from the AI observation system within the Fiery Cross Reef which interrupted his reflections on the past.
Admiral Shang Jiang immediately read the report. Afterward, he handed it to his commander. There were deep creases of concern embedded in his otherwise relaxed demeanor.
The note reported what appeared to be an unidentified American nuclear attack submarine in the process of surfacing to the east of their position. It had originated well within the bounds of the known international shipping lanes but was now heading much too close to the recently completed military installation on the chain of Spratly Islands.
It was most likely a show of force and a toothless appearance of disgruntlement over the island’s military development. The admiral guessed that the submarine would surface, then skirt the outline of the shipping lanes, before disappearing into the deeper waters of the South Chinese Sea, avoiding any formal confrontation.
It wasn’t the first time he’d witnessed such a brazen risk to peace in the region, and it undoubtedly wouldn’t be the last. He sighed as he took a pair of binoculars and watched the submarine surface roughly half a mile away to his east. But it was the first time an American nuclear attack submarine had come this close.
The submarine surfaced and ran in a north-east direction, on a direct course to a section known as the Dangerous Grounds. The area to the north of the Spratly Islands was known as the Dangerous Grounds because it was characterized by many low islands, sunken reefs, and degraded sunken atolls with coral often rising abruptly from ocean depths greater than 3,000 feet — all of which makes the area hazardous for navigation.
The admiral’s dark black, bushy eyebrows narrowed, as he wondered what the submarine commander’s intentions could possibly be. It was an obvious display of power. If it were there merely on a reconnaissance mission, it would have remained submerged and probably undetected, but its commander had chosen to surface.
It was a brazen threat, akin to a declaration of war.
Admiral Shang Jiang ordered the Feng Jian to pursue the renegade American nuclear attack submarine.
The sub headed north, toward a series of shallow channels, into an area known as the labyrinth, because it represented more than a hundred uncharted submerged reefs. What was a lesser known fact, was that when the People’s Republic of China commenced its land reclamation project in the region, it used underground dredging, and boring machines to deepen a series of shallow channels through the labyrinth, as well as produce shallow water traps, that would impede, if not make navigation impossible by their enemies.
And now, their enemy was sailing at full speed into a trap.
More surprising still, the purpose of attack submarines was to remain hidden. Stealth was paramount to its success, and for that, they needed the ability to dive. So then, why would its commander willingly take the submarine into a region known for its shallow reefs and almost impossible navigation, with no room to dive?
The thought rested heavily on Shang Jiang’s mind, as he ordered his crew to their attack stations and warned that the Americans were doing something they shouldn’t be, so to be on high alert.
He then took out his binoculars and examined the submarine again. There was no one on its deck. The conning tower was empty, which meant, presumably, its watertight hatches were closed, and despite the commander’s brazen display of confidence, the submarine was ready to dive at any moment.
It was a battle of wits and waiting.
Shang Jiang breathed. He hadn’t reached the age of 72 by being jittery. Nor had he done so by being complacent. He would pursue the offending submarine, careful not to start an international incident, while being prepared to fight if need be.
The submarine turned to the east…
Into the labyrinth. Into a trap.
Shang Jiang put his binoculars down.
Where do you possibly think you’re going?
The helmsman glanced at Shang Jiang. “Do you want me to wait out here, sir?”
Shang Jiang hesitated. Not because he was concerned his helmsman couldn’t pilot the bulky aircraft carrier inside, but because he knew once he’d entered the labyrinth, a confrontation with the American submarine was unavoidable. Both men knew the labyrinth well. In fact, they had taken the Feng Jian into her narrow shipping lanes previously during her sea trials.
“Sir?” the helmsman asked.
Shang Jiang’s lips thinned to a hardened line. “Take us in.”
The Feng Jian reduced speed to just two knots and turned due east on a bearing of 90 degrees, entering the narrow lanes and abundant submerged coral reefs that formed the labyrinth. The ECDIS — electronic chart display and information system — depicted the bathymetric information and a graphical representation of the mapped seabed and various channels that formed the labyrinth. As far as Shang Jiang was aware, only China possessed such navigation information. Even with the map, it would be dangerous to maneuver the Feng Jian, and almost impossible for the American submarine to do so without running aground.
The ECDIS showed that there was only one entrance that any large vessel, be it an aircraft carrier or a submarine could enter the labyrinth. That meant both vessels would need to return the way they came, but to do so, they would need to navigate all the way to the end of the main channel, before making a series of sharp, hairpin turns, until the channel finally turned back on the original channel.
Shang Jiang looked through his binoculars again. The submarine was moving much faster than they were. Faster than he would have been willing to attempt to maneuver his aircraft carrier through the narrow channel. Although the submarine was also smaller, it was still longer than a football field and navigation in these confined waters would be a challenge.
His first officer greeted him. “Sir, the observation tower at Fiery Cross Reef says it lost all signs of the American attack submarine on its radar and sonar.”