China’s First Nuclear Submarine: The Story of Long March 1

On June 3, 2026, Chinese state media published a comprehensive historical retrospective on the “Long March 1” (hull number 401), China’s first indigenously developed nuclear-powered submarine. Published jointly by People’s Daily and the PLA Daily, the feature traces the vessel’s journey from its conception in the late 1950s through its construction, four decades of service, safe decommissioning, and eventual preservation as a national-level revolutionary cultural relic.

Context: A Nation’s Nuclear Ambition

The development of China’s nuclear submarine program occurred against the backdrop of the Cold War nuclear arms race. In 1958, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party officially launched the nuclear submarine program. However, when China sought Soviet assistance, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev told Beijing in 1959 that it lacked the capability to build nuclear submarines. This dismissal prompted Mao Zedong’s famous declaration: “Nuclear submarines — we will build them even if it takes ten thousand years!”

The program began with what engineers called the “Three Nothings”: no blueprints, no foreign experts, and no external assistance. The design team, led by Chief Designer Huang Xuhua, had only five blurry magazine photos of foreign nuclear submarines and a children’s toy model as reference materials.

Building from Nothing

With no computers available, engineers used abacuses and slide rules to perform complex calculations for hull structural strength and underwater hydrodynamics. According to the People’s Daily retrospective, the final displacement test of the 1,000-ton vessel matched the design specifications with zero error.

Nuclear power expert Peng Shilu pioneered a crucial approach: building a 1:1 land-based prototype reactor first to test and resolve all technical issues before installing it on the submarine. As Peng recalled, “We were all gnawing on cornbread while building the nuclear submarine; sometimes we couldn’t even get enough cornbread to eat.”

In July 1970, China’s first nuclear submarine land-based prototype reactor successfully achieved full power operation. Just five months later, on December 26, 1970 — Mao Zedong’s birthday — the fully domestically produced submarine was launched, a span of just 12 years from program initiation.

Commissioning and Service

On August 1, 1974 — PLA Day — the submarine was officially named “Long March 1,” assigned hull number 401, and inducted into the North Sea Fleet. China became the fifth nation in the world to possess a nuclear submarine, after the United States, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and France.

A first-hand account from the Red Culture Network, written by the two sailors who served as flag bearers during the commissioning ceremony, describes the event in vivid detail. Rocket scientist Qian Xuesen, who attended the ceremony, remarked: “Chairman Mao said ‘we’ll build it even if it takes ten thousand years’ — we didn’t use one-tenth of ten thousand years, nor one-hundredth of ten thousand years to build it.”

PLA Navy Commander Xiao Jinguang, a veteran of the Long March himself, was visibly emotional during the flag-raising ceremony, according to the account. Crew representative Cheng Wenzhao declared: “We will protect the 401 boat with our blood and lives; we will cherish it like our own eyes.”

During 40 years of active service, the Long March 1 conducted numerous extreme deep-dive tests, high-speed underwater trials, and long-duration patrols — many of which remain classified. One former captain recalled: “Before every extreme deep-dive test mission, every officer and crew member on the submarine would write their last letters.”

Living conditions were brutal. As one veteran submariner described: “We were packed in like sardines in a can. We had to overcome our physiological limits, because what we were guarding was the backbone of the entire nation.”

Full Lifecycle: From Sea to Museum

In October 2013, the Long March 1 was formally decommissioned after 40 years of service. China then successfully completed the decommissioning and nuclear decontamination process, meeting all International Atomic Energy Agency safety standards — a major technical achievement, as covered by CCTV’s military channel.

In October 2016, the submarine was moved to the Qingdao Naval Museum. It opened to the public in April 2017, and in April 2023, it was officially designated as a National First-Class Revolutionary Cultural Relic.

Analysis: A Legacy of Self-Reliance

The retrospective, published at a time of intensifying US-China technology competition, heavily emphasizes the theme of self-reliance. The narrative of succeeding despite foreign technology blockades resonates strongly with contemporary geopolitical tensions in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and advanced manufacturing.

Notably, the story emphasizes complete lifecycle management — from design and construction through decades of service to safe decommissioning and nuclear decontamination — demonstrating China’s maturation in nuclear safety and environmental stewardship. Chief Designer Huang Xuhua, who lived in secrecy for 30 years and was unable to attend his father’s funeral, passed away in February 2025 at age 99, as noted in an NNSA tribute.

What’s Next

The Long March 1 served as a training platform that produced China’s first generation of nuclear submarine commanders and technical experts. Its successor classes — the Type 091 (Han-class), Type 093 (Shang-class), and the more advanced Type 095 and Type 096 — represent the evolution of China’s nuclear submarine fleet. As the People’s Daily retrospective concludes, the submarine’s legacy of “self-reliance, hard struggle, coordination, and selfless dedication” continues to inspire China’s next generation of naval engineers and submariners.

Today, the Long March 1 rests quietly at the Qingdao Naval Museum — no longer diving beneath the waves, but standing as a testament to one of the 20th century’s most remarkable technological achievements.