In 2000 and 2001, Chinese representatives attended international submarine rescue conferences and exercises. This may have followed the 1995 accident suffered by
Chinese submarine 361 while surfaced leading to the deaths of the entire crew. China entered negotiations to purchase DSRVs from Britain or
Canada which may have resulted in the order for the LR7 through
Rolls-Royce Marine. The LR7 was tested in
Loch Linnhe,
Scotland, in September 2008. It was delivered and entered service in 2009. The
Type 926 submarine support ship was developed to deploy the LR7. The first was laid down in 2007 and entered service in 2010. ==Design==