China ships harrasing US Naval ships in international waters

Joe Wicked · #1 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 03:58 PM

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The United States Monday urged China to observe international maritime rules after the Pentagon said five Chinese ships, including a naval vessel, harassed a U.S. Navy ship in international waters.

The Chinese vessels "shadowed and aggressively maneuvered in dangerously close proximity" to the USNS Impeccable on Sunday, with one vessel coming within 25 feet of the U.S. ship, a U.S. Defense Department statement said.

The American ship, an unarmed ocean surveillance vessel, was conducting routine operations in the South China Sea 75 miles south of Hainan Island, according to the Pentagon.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090309/...usa_china_navy

Joe Wicked · #2 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 04:42 PM

They obviously do not want us scanning the bottom in that area. I am sure it is probably because they have a base nearby and don't want us knowing the lay of the ocean floor at all, but it is international waters. Kinda wonder if there was a sub there as well. I wonder how they would respond to a destroyer or cruiser escorting the research ship?

Dan40 · #3 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 05:26 PM

Are the Chinese harassing them, or trying to repo them for all the money we owe?

Dan

joyridin' · #4 (**permalink**) 03-09-2009, 08:14 PM

Unless we want to call China and ask them to send us steel and other materials to build weapons to shoot at their ships, we are screwed.

Wayne Maybury · #5 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 08:14 AM

The Chinese have been increasing spending on their military at an alarming rate over the past decade. They have purchased at least one modern aircraft carrier and pulled it apart to reverse engineer their own carrier production. They are also building lots of subs and destroyers. I think that they will invade Taiwan one of these days as they have always maintained that it is theirs. If they succeed there, they will become more adventurous elsewhere.

Wayne

Joe Wicked · #6 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 11:22 AM

I think that the US should not sit by and dismiss what the Chinese are doing. The more we allow these actions to take place, the more they will escalate. Here we had a US Naval ship that backed down. Yes, it was an unarmed ship run by non military trained civilians, but to the Chinese, they just got a US Naval vessel to tuck tail and run. To further that point, the all the US did was cry about it and say "Stop it". That is as bad as telling the school yard bully "I am telling". All it gets you is smacked around some more.

jams · #7 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 03:57 PM

They are testing the waters to see Obama's response or lack there of!

Joe Wicked · #8 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 04:08 PM

My thoughts exactly. His response was "come on guys knock it off". I am afraid that this lack of response will embolden not only China, but other terrorists as well.

Fred Douglass · #9 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 08:20 PM

As a lot of you already know they were the last, and best BB's the US built. Iowa, Wisconsin, New Jersey and Missouri. Next time the dog-chompin' Chicoms want to moon our sailors, let's give 'em a view of nine 16" rifle bores!

I believe youse guys are right. The Chinese are ramping up for Taiwan, and they KNOW that Obamessiah Pinnochio will hide behind that horrifyin' Mish-Hell's skirts!!!!

Of course it would help if our freakin' arm-chair admirals would snap to and recognize unarmed ECM ships are just asking for it. Let's see, first it was the Liberty, then it was the Pueblo, then that P-3 Orion airplane, and now that lithping Whatever-It-Is (the USS Harmless, or something)!

Krikeys! Let's give the doggie-diners a look at the best battlewagons ever made! They leave horrific wakes at speed, too. Easily enough swamp those ChiCom PuPu platters!

I'm getting my old uniform out of the locker (maybe a quick trip to the tailors)...ar-ar-ar-ar!

Jamo · #10 (**permalink**) 03-10-2009, 11:35 PM

Fred...yup.

Question though...why in the hell do we use surface ships for such missions?

Joe Wicked · #11 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 04:30 AM

Yea a few of my sub buddies would take care of the problem as well. The surface ships are nice and public. Boldly letting the world know we are not soft.

Wayne Maybury · #12 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 06:20 AM

The Russians are at it as well. President Obama visited Canada a couple of weeks ago and at least one (maybe several) Russian bombers approached Canadian airspace, unannounced, just before the President was scheduled to arrive. Some CF-18's intercepted the Russian bomber(s) and escorted them until they were well on their way back home.

The Russians used to do this all the time during the cold war but they just resumed these flights recently. There was no indication that this latest episode was timed to coincide with the President's visit or it was just a coincidence. I'm not a big believer in coincidences.

Wayne

Ron61 · #13 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 08:21 AM

Wayne,

The Russians started before China did in rebuilding their military and have a huge number of subs now. Also new aircraft that are well ahead of most of ours. I think all they and China were waiting for was Obama to be elected and then they can take over everything without having to fight.

Ron

Fred Douglass · #14 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 10:28 AM

...they are VISIBLE to other (and in this case, obnoxious) surface craft. I've been close aboard (as well as aboard) an Iowa-class beauty and there's nothing quite like it. The New Jersey (et al) "buzzing" some of those Chicom woks would REALLY leave a lasting impression. Ar-ar-ar-ar.

Ronbo · #15 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 05:51 PM

Yep, show of force. We need a sutable replacement for the B-52 and keep at least two of the battle ships ready to re-activate.

A downpour of 20lb bombs from above and exploding Volkswagons from off shore have a deep psycolgical effect on the surviving ground forces.

For the time being we can load the few remaining B-52s in operation with all the broken Chinese junk headed to our landfills and toss in most of the liberals as well, then drop this mass of uselessness on China and Russia.

You know, just to send a message that the Cowboys are not gone yet...

Fred Douglass · #16 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 07:06 PM

..a quick perusal of my photo gallery shots of the Missouri is better than a thousand words!

Jamo · #17 (**permalink**) 03-11-2009, 11:27 PM

Oh I agree, Fred...having been on the Mo twice and up next to the New Jersey from a yacht while it was in Long Beach. My question had more to do with when we want to be covert...mapping of the seabed could easily be done by a few particular subs we have. If we want to make a statement...an Iowa or even smaller guided missle surface ships could enforce the freedom of the shipping lanes.

Ron...leave the BUFF alone. There will never be a suitable replacemnt. We've tried several times.

Ron61 · #18 (**permalink**) 03-12-2009, 04:01 AM

Freddie,

When I came home from Korea and was waiting to get out of the service I was stationed at Ft. Lewis Washington. I went over to the Yakima firing range a few times to watch them train forward observers and there is nothing quite like hearing one of those huge rounds ripping through the air above you. If you were in just the right position you could actually see them in the air. It sounded like a giant zipper being ripped open. That was back when the Missouri was at Bremerton with another Battleship and touring it was something that I will never forget. Heck, even the 8" rounds from the field artillery were impressive as long as I didn't have to be in the target area. The concussion from when they hit was something else and I was at least a mile from it.

Ron

Fred Douglass · #19 (**permalink**) 03-12-2009, 09:27 AM

...a very good way to show them that they're still MICE is to send an Iowa barreling past. I can state that the Iowas' wakes (albeit evidence of a tremendous waste of energy for you engineering types!) are simply BREATHTAKING.

We were slammin' south of Coooba in the USS Compton [DD705] and saw an Iowa (three-faceted bridge) speeding th'other direction, hull-down on the horizon. Aboot 20 minutes later, our bow slid out of a slight rise in the smooth sea-surface, over a 12-foot-deep chasm, and directly into a man-made tsunami. Blew the bronze covers off the hawse pipes and sent a couple of tons of spray up (and onto) the foredeck.

I was an Ensign (and therefore lower than whale poop to the old salts)---but I saw the black line of that wake coming and warned the hands who were goofing off on the forepeak (sun-tan time!) what was going to happen ("boarding sea", etc.) They all larfed. Well, after calling that "freak wave" I was Neptune himself! None of the deck-level crew saw the Iowa---just us on the bridge. I made the look-outs swear to silence!

Ar-ar-ar.

Joe Wicked · #20 (**permalink**) 03-12-2009, 10:41 AM

Great story Fred. I don't have any like that as I was enlisted, but I did mess with the crew of the USS California back in the early 90s. I was on the Jefferson City (SSN759) and we were playing war games off the coast of Japan. We successfully got in the middle of a battle group, killed the carrier the admiral was on, and got out without being detected. After that we circled the entire group taking pictures of the scramble. Because of that, we were allowed to dock first (normally the Subs dock last because the captain is normally a Commander and is the lowest ranking). The crew of the California kept talking crap on the pier. One went as far to say if we had been any where near them, we would not have gotten so "Lucky". So I went down below and developed a picture of the California with the crosshairs right on the waterline at midships point (Kill shot). Also one right up the rear and then midships on the port side as well. Didn't say a word, just handed them the pics and walked away. My chief looked at me and said, "You're a ****", then laughed. Later that night we ran into a couple of guys out in town who admitted they felt like idiots after that. Shared a few beers and had a good time.