You said — “This is worse than what was earlier reported, I don’t recall them saying they tried to hook on to the Impeccable.”
No, the video report said that they used the grappling hook to try and hook the tow line for the sonar unit that they were towing (for their intelligence operations to detect Chinese submarines).
So, they were trying to disrupt the intelligence gathering operations of the ship and probably sink the sonar unit the U.S. ship was towing.
Ok, I’m sorry, I misunderstood.
The Russians used to harass these vessels a lot in the ‘80s, except it was always in international waters and they didn’t get this close.