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May 2, 2005
The mystery of the 67,000 ton Russian aircraft carrier Varyag, now owned by China, continues. Last month, the Varyag was towed away from the pier, in the Chinese naval base of Dalian, where it had been tied up for the last three years. While there, it could be seen that work was being done on the ship. Most notable was rebuilding of the carriers island, and the installation of some electronics. The Vartag was only 80 percent complete when the Chinese purchased it, and had no engines or rudder. Its uncertain what work was done internally. Dalian is a closely guarded base, with no reporters allowed.
China spent over $50 million to buy the unfinished 67,000 ton Varyag, and tow it to the Chinese naval base at Dalian. Originally, the Varyag was bought, for three times its scrap value, by a Chinese front company (that turned out to be owned by the Chinese navy). Their stated intention was to convert the ship into a floating casino in Macao (near Hong Kong). This turned out to be a cover story, to get Turkey to allow the Varyag to be towed out of the Black Sea. Theres an international treaty that allows Turkey to control what warships pass through the Turkish controlled entrance to the Black Sea, so the Chinese had to make it look like the Varyag was no longer going to be used as a warship. The Chinese then spent $30 million, and 627 days, to tow the engineless Varyag to a Chinese naval base. The Varyag was originally designed to operate the Su-27 fighter (which the Chinese have).
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