A shocking new satellite image has emerged showing one horrifying detail on a Chinese nuclear submarine docked at a naval base.

The vessel, identified as a Type 094 nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine by an open-source intelligence analyst, can be seen with at least four of its nuclear ballistic missile hatches open.

The Type 094 is capable of carrying up to 12 long-range nuclear missiles.

The image was captured by Google Earth Pro on December 7 while the submarine docked at Longpo Naval Base on the island of Hainan, southern China.

It also showed a crane on the wharf being operated over the submarine’s open hatches, though it remains unclear whether it was loading or unloading ballistic missiles.

Collin Koh, senior fellow at Singapore’s Institute of Defence and Strategic Studies, said the image of the ballistic missile submarine (SSBN) was rare.

He wrote on X: “[It] further reinforces reports of regular strategic deterrent patrols performed by these SSBNs.”

The Longpo base has underground facilities facing the highly contested South China Sea and boasts six 230-metre wharves that can fit 12 submarines.

Each Type 094 submarine is armed with either a JL-2 or JL-3 ballistic missiles as a nuclear deterrent, according to a 2023 report by the Pentagon.

A JL-2 has a range of 3,900 nautical miles and could strike the US East Coast from waters east of Hawaii. A JL-3 has a range of 5,400 nautical miles and could strike mainland US from Chinese waters.

The report said China is likely conducting “near-continuous at-sea deterrence patrols” with Type 094 submarines.

China has never revealed how many nuclear weapons it is stockpiling, but the US military estimated in 2023 that the number could be in excess of 500.