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June 8, 2005
The mystery of the aircraft carrier Varyag continues. After rusting at dockside in China for more than three years, the former Russian Varyag has recently been moved to a dry dock at Dalien (formerly Dairen of Russo-Japanese War fame). The ship is being subject to some maintenance. She is being sand blasted (to get rid of all that rust) and a scaffolding has appeared around her superstructure. The actual extent of the work beyond that is unclear. The ship is under guard, and the guards will only say that the maintenance work is for military purposes.
Old and suffering from years of neglect, the ship could be restored to a serviceable condition at considerable expense. Although there is some speculation that the Chinese want to put her into service as a proper carrier, it is more likely that she may be used as a helicopter carrier, or as a large, fast auxiliary to provide logistical support to an amphibious effort against Taiwan, or as a training platform in order to gain experience for the design and construction of a new carrier to be built from the keel up.
Whatever the case, the Chinese arent scrapping the Varyag. Yet. But they arent talking much either.
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