Officials Say External Blast [Sank] Navy Ship

Chosun Ilbo ^ | 18 Apr 2010 | anonymous

[docbnj]

South Korean investigators have all but ruled out an on-board accident or collision with rocks as the cause of a navy ship's sinking. The government is still treating the matter delicately, as suspicions remain that North Korea was involved in the sinking.

A multinational investigative team said Friday that the South Korean naval corvette, the Cheonan, split in half and sank earlier this month due to force applied from outside the ship.

Yoon says fragments of the hull are bent inward, showing that the explosive force came from the outside. He adds the likeliest possible causes of an onboard accident have been eliminated. He says there is no damage to the ship's ammunition depot, fuel tanks, or diesel engine room. Plastic coverings of electrical wires were also undamaged. Yoon says a lack of damage to the underside of the ship sharply reduces the chances it hit a reef or other underwater obstacle.

[docbnj]

Suspicion grows that North Korea was responsible, but no one wants to come out and say so.

[ThunderSleeps]

The South Koreans have 24 (well, 23 now) of these class ships running around since 1985. Never a history of structural problems and any of her sister ships spontaneously splitting in half and sinking...

The lack of damage to any of the volatiles (fuel, ammunition) on board, combined with the "signature" on the hull damage strongly indicate this ship was intentionally sunk. Now, who would be in a position to do this, with any kind of motive???

[cripplecreek]

The photos I saw looked like an explosion under the ship buckled it inward and upward.

As I understand it, modern torpedoes are designed to explode under a ship like that. The force of the explosion first forces the middle of the ship upwards and then it falls downward into the cavity created in the water.

[RobinOfKingston]

... no one wants to come out and say so.

'Cuz then you hafta do something about it.

[rbg81]

Kinda how TWA Flight 800 magically exploded over NY in a way that was never seen previous or subsequent.

[Greysard]

Suspicion grows that North Korea was responsible

Iranian news agency just reported that NK denies responsibility for the explosion (first time since the event.) With that settled, SK now needs to look for more likely causes of the blast - perhaps a malfunctioning UFO from Sirius, or Spontaneous Water Combustion?

But as RobinOfKingston says, accusations toward NK won't do any good unless you are willing to do something about it. And I just don't see SK declaring a war on NK over this. Even if SK finds pieces of torpedo with Kim's signature - even then SK would only complain in UN, which will do exactly as much help as any other complaint there.

[Oldexpat]

Could be a mine or a torpedo. Even if they proved the weapon came from NK..SK would do nothing. They have a good life and they don’t want to see artillery rounds being fired into Seoul.
The policy with NK is..and should be..Ignore them. Cut off all contact and trade. Pretend they don’t exist. Patrol the sea, air and land border and kill of any intruders..but don’t talk about it. Without Intl attention they will implode.

[17th Miss Regt]

Now, who would be in a position to do this, with any kind of motive???

George Walker Bush and Karl Rove in their two man mini-sub "WreckObama".

[jiggyboy]

The more obvious the answer, the slower and more vague is the public acknowledgement.

[Waverunner]

Have they consulted the experts at theexplodingwhale.com?