Posted on 11/10/2007 8:58:27 PM PST by matt.f
Chinese Sub Pops Up Undetected Near U.S.S. Kitty Hawk During Exercise
November 10, 2007
Hot Air posted this story earlier today and it should shake your sense of security at least a little.
Recently, when a Chinese submarine popped up undetected in the middle of a Pacific Ocean exercise, dangerously close to the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, American military chiefs were left dumbfounded and red-faced, according to UK newspaper, Daily Mail.
When the Navy deploys a battle fleet on exercises, they take the security of the aircraft carriers very seriously. At least a dozen warships are used to provide a physical guard, and using advanced technology they are able to detect and deter any potential intruders.
By the time the Chinese sub surfaced, the 160ft Song Class diesel-electric attack submarine sailed within viable range for launching torpedoes or missles at the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk, a 1,000ft. super carrier with 4,500 military personnel on-board.
According to senior NATO officials, the incident caused a sense of sudden fear in the U.S. Navy, as officials realized the seriousness of the encounter. The U.S. apparently had no idea just how sophisticated China’s fast-growing submarine fleet had become, or that they even posed such a threat.
Reportedly, one Nato figure said that the effect was “as big a shock as the Russians launching Sputnik”. The Sputnik, if you remember, was the Soviet Union’s first orbiting satellite launched in 1957 which marked the beginning of the space age and kicked off the space race.
The U.S. Navy’s brush with the Chinese Navy’s submarine occurred in the Pacific Ocean between southern Japan and Taiwan. The one sub was able to slip past at least a dozen other U.S. warships that were in place to ward off any hostile aircraft or submarines. Two submarines were also in place, along with other advanced technology, which also failed to detect the intruding watercraft.
The U.S. Navy and Nato are now forced to re-think their strategy, and reconsider the level of threat posed from potentially hostile Chinese submarines.
While China insists that the incident was a simple coincidence, others are not so sure about that. The run-in led to some intense diplomatic exchanges, with rattled American diplomats demanding to know why Chinese subs were shadowing the U.S. fleet.
Analysts believe that China was sending a message to the United States and the West by demonstrating their rapidly growing military capability to threaten foreign powers that might try to interfere in their own “backyard.”
As a citizen of the United States, it may leave you wondering if we are really as safe as we think we are.
Again?
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1924020/posts
I have been docuimenting the ChiComm naval buildup for sevral years at this site.
Having said that, my own sources in the Navy indicate to me that this PLAN Song sub was forced to surface because their number was had. The ASW capabilities of a US NAvy CSG are still second to none...even though we have weakned them outselves by taking the excellent ASW Spurance class destroyers out of service, and particularly be taking the S-3 Vikings off the carriers and removing that great ASW capability.
The Burkes and Ticos are good at ASW, the carrier's and the esorts's helos are very good, and the one or two ADCAP LA Class subs are also very good.
But we cannot be complacent because the ChiComm PLAN sure enough plans to move out into the blue water and confront us.
Are they? Teddy Roosevelt built up the U.S. Navy during his administration, and I really don’t recall any large, hostile nations hereabouts. China has some very boisterous neighbors - Pakistan, India, Russia - and they want to have top flight defence capabilities. Use their military to bully Taiwan? Yeah, highly likely, but time will tell.
AND who is the only politician who talks about it, on the campaign stump?
Duncan Hunter.
Go Hunter for 2008!
You won't find any Red Chinese agents like Hsu contributing to Duncan;s campaign either.
They were delivering Chinese food for the exercise. That was the “official” reason.
I call BS
Ping.
You cannot be alert 100% of the time. Considerable different posture in peace time operations and a war time posture. Thus anyone can sucker punch you, once.
Now that they have played their little PR game, the Navy brass is going to be gunning for some payback. Pretty doubtful they can get away with it ever again.
Sailors love tall tails. It is probable that this story grew as it passed down the grape vine and is a rumor not a fact.
Why are they posting this exactly a year later as if it is new?
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