Yangtze

The Yangtze (Chinese: 扬子; pinyin: Yangzi, or possibly Changjiang given that Yangtze is a Westernization of China's longest river (Chinese: 长江; pinyin: Changjiang), is a Chinese nuclear-powered ballistic missile submarine lodged in the shallow waters off the coast of The Commonwealth south of Boston Airport, north east of the Four Leaf fishpacking plant. It will not be discovered until the quest Here There Be Monsters has been started.

Background
Sometime before the Great War, the Yangtze was sent on patrol into the Atlantic with a payload of six strategic nuclear ICBMs and an uncertain number of tactical nuclear missiles and torpedoes. It is unknown if the vessel experienced any combat prior to the Great War, but given that by the 2280s it only has three tactical missiles left this is possible. When the Great War began, the Yangtze's captain obeyed his orders to fire the submarine's strategic nuclear weapons at their targets. All but one of the missiles were successfully launched. It's possible, if statistically unlikely given the sheer number of weapons likely launched in the Great War, that one of the missiles was the one that nearly destroyed Boston and created the Glowing Sea.

Shortly after firing its strategic missiles, the Yangtze struck a mine that severely damaged its reactor and forced it to seek shelter in a nearby harbor, which just so happened to be the port of Boston. The damage caused a reactor leak that immobilized the sub and ultimately killed or ghoulified the crew, of which only Captain Zao retained his sanity.

Layout
Unlike the only other Chinese submarine encountered in the series, SSN-37-1A, the Yangtze is a full-scale combat vessel with clearly visible torpedo and missile tubes as well as accommodations for a sizeable crew contingent. Also unlike SSN-37-1A, the submarine's hull is based on the more angular design of pre-nuclear submarine design, such as the German U-boats of the World Wars, rather then the "tear drop" shape of modern real life vessels. The fact that the missile tubes are positioned fore of the conning tower is reminiscent of a number of Russian/Soviet missile submarines like the Typhoon-class.

Notable loot

 * Fusion core inside an open footlocker in the crew quarters.
 * Submariner uniform and hat worn by the captain, Zao.
 * The First Mate, now a glowing one, only wears the submariner hat.
 * Nuka Cola Quantum next to the bunk of dead crew member holding a Nuka Cola truck in the crew quarters.
 * Chinese Officer Sword laying on a desk underneath the bridge
 * Warhead can be found next to The First Mate, once the capsule next to him is looted.
 * Stealth Boy locked in a supply closet controlled by a terminal.
 * Vault-Tec lunchbox in the galley on the table in the southeast corner.

Related quests

 * Here There Be Monsters

Appearances
The Yangtze only appears in Fallout 4.

Yangtze Янцзы (Fallout 4)