Posted on 02/19/2009 3:30:07 PM PST by bruinbirdman
Cargo ship sunk by the Russian navy off Vladivostok with the loss of eight lives.
The New Star was pursued out of port in Nakhodka in the Siberian Far East on Sunday by a Russian naval vessel which believed it was involved in smuggling. The pursuing ship fired at least 500 rounds, forcing it to turn back to port, but it sank on the way.
Eight crew were rescued but eight more, five Indonesians and three Chinese, were missing presumed drowned after their lifeboat overturned.
The incident will cast a shadow over generally improving relations between the two countries, who have a long history of mutual distrust following border skirmishes in the 1960s. The two signed a major oil-for-loans deal earlier this week.
The Chinese foreign ministry reported the incident on Wednesday, and on Thursday its spokeswoman said Beijing had called on Russia to investigate and "make full efforts to search for and rescue the missing sailors".
According to Russian and Chinese newspapers, the New Star had been held in Nakhodka on suspicion of smuggling, but had left port without notifying the authorities. A Russian naval cruiser set off after it.
The Chinese reports accused the Russians of not responding to the cries of help from the cargo ship as it began to sink. Although all 16 crew made it to the two lifeboats, one overturned in force 6 winds.
The Russian Interfax news agency said an empty lifeboat had been recovered and attempts were continuing to find the bodies of the remaining eight crew.
Russia and China have drawn closer in recent years, largely as a strategic alliance to counterbalance what both see as bullying American hegemony.
With four central Asian nations they have set up a regional security grouping, the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, which some
(Excerpt) Read more at telegraph.co.uk ...
Think the “smuggling” line is akin to the excuse they used for KAL007?
The Russian Navy must REALLY suck if it took 500 shots to sink that tub.
Doesn’t say what the 500 rounds were fired out of...
Whoo hoo! Another Russo-japanese war! Great!
“Doesn’t say what the 500 rounds were fired out of..”
True.
Ahhh a little commie on commie rat-a-tat spat warms the heart...
They could have been repeated shots across the bow in an attempt to get the ship to stop.
Anyhow the freighter looks a bit high in the water. With seas like that, could the metacentric height be unstable?
I think we’re looking at a Russo-Chinese war.
Sure, but think of the historical parallels. China is a rising power like Japan a century ago, maybe more so. Russia it seems is always on the brink of collapse regardless of what century you’re in. Remember how Roosevelt stepped in to help end the Russo-Japanese war. I’m sure he had US interests in mind back then.
Reports are it was a Sorum class border patrol tug 
They carry a pair of AK-230 mounts 
Maybe it started out as a few shots across the bow, but the Sorums can only do 14 kts.
My guess is the Chinese captain decided he could outrun it. And the Russian went full auto (1000rpm/barrel)
Link with pics:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7904484.stm
Not surprisingly, the tinfoil hat types are reporting (shortwave) that there was something nuclear on this ship. “18 hours of warnings and warning shots?” Seems plenty odd; a shot or two over the deck and then one into the hull would have been more in keeping with how these guys do business. More here than meets the ear.
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