Google Sightseeing takes you on tour of the world as seen from satellite, using the free Google Earth program, or Google Maps in your web browser. Each weekday your guides James and Alex present new weird and wonderful sights as suggested by readers.

The editors: James & Alex

Ming Class Submarine

Posted by James Turnbull, Tuesday, 22nd August 2006

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Please note that some or all of the objects mentioned in this post are no longer visible on Google Earth or Google Maps.

A long time ago, way back when this website began, I thought that spotting submarines on satellite photographs would be very unlikely, what with them travelling underwater most of the time.

As it turned out there are a lot of submarines sitting about on land, but it has taken a while for someone to find a travelling submarine. This Ming class diesel submarine is on its way back to Lushun Naval Base where there’s a few more docked up.

Thanks to Bill Preston.

17 Responses to 'Ming Class Submarine'

  1. 1. Lee says:

    Then again, you probably thought planes in flight would be hard to find.

  2. 2. MrWhipple says:

    A Ming class submarine? Someone call Flash Gordon, quick!

    (“Flash! Aaah aaaaaaaah! King of the impossible!”)

  3. 3. randall says:

    to go along with that, here ladies and gentlemen is some high quality pictures of the pride of the U.S. Naval fleet, genuine ohio class boomers stationed at Bangor, Washington

    This picture has two, one at dock and another just to the bottom right in an emptied drydock. It is very possible that the drydock one is a recently converted SSGN, but I can’t know that for sure.

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

    the next one is a picture of what I believe to be one in a roofed drydock (you can see the nose poking out)

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  4. 4. Gesh says:

    Hey randall,
    What on earth are these?
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth
    they look like the arrangement of fighter planes on millitary flieds all over the world, but there is no runway near by.

  5. 5. Lee says:

    Gesh, that would be a weapons dump. I’ll find you a link in 2 mins =]

  6. 6. chewbaccawokka says:

    Those look like windmills.

  7. 7. randall says:

    yeah i agree with lee. they look like storage centers for warheads, either nuclear (which i highyl doubt) or conventional for the new cruise missile SSGN’s. they could also be armories to hold the base’s weapons, since it also a naval reserve base.

  8. 8. WRA says:

    I have seen (on another site) that someone found a US submarine leaving Yokuska, Japan. I’m not sure which site that was or if it is still visible. Can any of you super searchers find it?

  9. Google Sightseeing Admin
    9. Alex says:

    WRA:

    http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&lr=&q=US+submarine+leaving+Yokuska&btnG=Search

    :-)

  10. 10. Gesh says:

    here is the direct link from Alex’s google search.
    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  11. 11. WRA says:

    Nice job!

  12. 12. Richard (Sweden) says:

    I might, MIGHT, have found a russian submarine heading for the Northern Fleets Submarinebase i Polyarny.

    I am NOT sure but I find it to be an interesting thoght that we might see a new Red October ;)

    Placemark: Google Maps / Google Earth

  13. 13. Lee says:

    Bloody hell Rich, that’s amazing. How’d you spot that?

  14. 14. Richard (Sweden) says:

    Well Lee, It was hard work actually. I work at the CIA as a Satellite Photograhy Analysist.

    Ok so that is not really true. I do not work at the Agency. :)
    I am a simple Store Manager in Sweden with an unhealthy interest for the bizarre.

    I have always been a fan of Tom Clancy and his writing so I wanted to find the base of Polyarny. I was just “flying” over the area and spotted a small anomali that just didn’t fit in. So I invetigated the anomali and I think that it might be a submarine.

  15. 15. Dave says:

    Placemark: Here’s / Google Earth a WWII sub — the USS Silversides — that’s on permanent display near Muskegon, MI. A little obscured by clouds though; probably wouldn’t know it’s there if I hadn’t visited the site myself.

  16. 16. ilovedesign says:

    crazy! where did you get this??

  17. 17. Lord_Velos says:

    Sadly I think the photo got updated and you can no longer see the submarine. :-(

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