Images from Guangzhou appear to show a second possible Chinese UUV mothership, with six tall stern structures that analysts believe could assist in deploying and recovering large uncrewed underwater vehicles. Naval News and The War Zone examined the vessel in reports published on 18 October 2026.
Naval News cautioned that the authenticity of the two short clips, originally shared on Weibo, remained unconfirmed. The publication said checks using AI-detection tools suggested genuine footage, although some image enhancement could not be excluded.
The six stern masts distinguish the Guangzhou vessel from a larger ship previously identified at Hudong in Shanghai. According to Naval News, the Guangzhou arrangement comprises pairs of masts with broadly similar heights, whereas the Shanghai vessel has twelve masts of differing heights.
The publication interprets these structures as a possible lifting system for a cradle used to lower underwater vehicles into the sea and retrieve them. Its assessment of the Shanghai design suggests a cradle capable of accommodating payloads up to 50 metres long.
Naval News estimates the Guangzhou vessel’s length at approximately 150 metres, compared with slightly over 200 metres for the Shanghai ship. It also cites satellite-image assessments suggesting China is evaluating two UUV designs measuring between 35 and 45 metres.
Both ships appear to combine a raised forward deckhouse containing the bridge with a large opening behind it resembling a hangar entrance. Each also has a stern opening comparable to a well-deck gate. Naval News describes diesel exhaust stacks positioned side by side behind the deckhouse on both designs.
Their hull forms differ. On the Shanghai vessel, the upper hull slopes inward from near the bow along the ship’s length. Naval News describes the Guangzhou hull as more conventional, with the inward slope restricted to the deckhouse.
The Guangzhou footage shows tugs moving a vessel that still carries scaffolding and lacks installed sensors and communications equipment, according to Naval News. The publication identifies the location as the Pearl River near Panyu, using the GAEI headquarters behind the ship as a landmark.
The War Zone identifies Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI) as the builder. Its assessment draws on satellite imagery dated 2 October 2026, which it says shows part of the vessel at the company’s Longxue Island facility before launch.
Naval News leaves the destination for subsequent outfitting unresolved and says more detailed imagery is needed to establish the vessel’s intended function. Its identification as a UUV mothership remains an assessment.
