Retrieved stern of sunken S. Korean navy warship arrives in its home port

Yonhap News ^ | 4/17/2010 | Yonhap News

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

The tattered stern of a South Korean naval warship that mysteriously exploded and sank near the western sea border with North Korea arrived in its home port Saturday for investigation.

A giant barge carrying the wreckage weighing some 500 tons was towed into the 2nd Navy Fleet Command in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometers southwest of Seoul shortly after 7 p.m.

A multinational team of investigators, including those from the United States and Australia, waited on shore for the arrival of the stern. Officials said missiles and other weapons on aboard will be removed Sunday before a probe begins in earnest.

The 1,200-ton corvette Cheonan with a crew of 104 broke into two following a mysterious explosion and sank near the Yellow Sea border on March 26. Fifty-eight sailors were rescued but at least 38 others have been confirmed dead. Eight are still unaccounted for.

According to a preliminary investigation announced on Friday, an external explosion is believed to have hit the ship while on a routine patrol near the maritime border with North Korea.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

Stern of the Cheonan

[Dallas59]

I wonder if Bammy gave “special” orders to any of the American investigators...

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I think the U.S. investigators are in ROKN control

[magslinger]

How much control can the ROKN have when someone else has a say in future assignments and promotions?

[Venturer]

All of this investigation when the whole world knows something the N. Korean placed in the water blew this ship apart, and nothing will be done about it anyway.

[Joe Boucher]

Most likely the U.S. and South Korea will provide food aid to North Korea for sinking this ship.

[Tunehead54]

I wondered what the heck pulled that out of the water ... several pics here: "A giant floating crane lifts the stern of South Korean vessel Cheonan"

[ASA Vet]

FR thread of April 15 with photos

[Travis McGee]

Norko mine or torpedo? That is the ONLY question.

[Venturer]

Or Maybe fuel oil.

[tanknetter]

Reminds me of the USS Shaw. Pic of her:



Pic of her exploding during the Pearl Harbor attack:



Pic of her underway to the US West Coast for repairs:

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I think that the ROKN control the U.S. investigation team and all aspects of this investigation. They have all the experts in place and this is being runned by the Ministry of Defense not the Pentagon.

[magslinger]

I think that the ROKN control the U.S. investigation team and all aspects of this investigation. They have all the experts in place and this is being runned by the Ministry of Defense not the Pentagon.

If the Pentagon wants the results to be a certain way bad enough they will get it unless the US members of the team are willing to sacrifice their careers.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

I think that President Lee would resist all commands from Washington.

[ErnstStavroBlofeld]

President Lee wants the investigation done his way.

[magslinger]

I understand that. What I am saying is that he would do better getting his way by not having any US help. If President Obama wants certain results for political reasons, US officers may have to work to get those results or sacrifice their careers.

Of course, in some cases, the officers may already have plans to leave the service. I don't know how it is now, but that was the case during the peanut farmer regime.