Posted on 11/09/2010 8:05:31 AM PST by Gennie
(CBS) A mysterious missile launch off the southern California coast was caught by CBS affiliate KCBS's cameras Monday night, and officials are staying tight-lipped over the nature of the projectile.
CBS station KFMB put in calls to the Navy and Air Force Monday night about the striking launch off the coast of Los Angeles, which was easily visible from the coast, but the military has said nothing about the launch.
KFMB showed video of the apparent missile to former U.S. Ambassador to NATO Robert Ellsworth, who is also a former Deputy Secretary of Defense, to get his thoughts.
Scroll down for KFMB video showing the launch.
Video here
"It's spectacular… It takes people's breath away," said Ellsworth, calling the projectile, "a big missile".
Magnificent images were captured by the KCBS news helicopter in L.A. around sunset Monday evening. The location of the missile was about 35 miles out to sea, west of L.A. and north of Catalina Island.
A Navy spokesperson told KFMB it wasn't their missile. He said there was no Navy activity reported in the area Monday evening.
On Friday night, Vandenberg Air Force Base, in California, launched a Delta II rocket, carrying an Italian satellite into orbit, but a sergeant at the base told KFMB there had been no launches since then.
Ellsworth urged American to wait for definitive answers to come from the military.
When asked, however, what he thought it might be, the former ambassador said it could possibly have been a missile test timed as a demonstration of American military might as President Obama tours Asia.
"It could be a test-firing of an intercontinental ballistic missile from a submarine … to demonstrate, mainly to Asia, that we can do that," speculated Ellsworth.
Ellsworth said such tests were carried out in the Atlantic to demonstrate America's power to the Soviets, when there was a Soviet Union, but he doesn't believe an ICBM has previously been tested by the U.S. over the Pacific.
Officially, at least, the projectile remains a mystery missile.
They killed the TWA to cover Clinton’s mistake.
I'd bet the rent, they know exactly who launched this...
If not, it makes this event much more disturbing.
What does the “Engine Fire Disables Cruise Ship Off California” and ICBM launch have in common?
That depends. Did that lawsuit ever get cleared up where a "green" group wanted to get our coastal sonar shut down because it *might* effect seas life?
Thanks. Just wanted you to know I stole this and used elsewhere.
Carnival Splendor cruise ship, with over 4000 aboard, disabled off Mexican coast
http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Latest-News-Wires/2010/1109/Carnival-Splendor-cruise-ship-with-over-4000-aboard-disabled-off-Mexican-coast
The vessel was drifting about 55 miles off of the northern Baja California coast. Tugs were expected to reach it at midday to tow it to Ensenada, but it was unclear when it would arrive at the Mexican port. Passengers will then be bused back to the United States.
The ship was in contact with the U.S. Coast Guard, which deployed aircraft and ships.
Coast Guard Lt. Khris Johns, who was on a cutter at the scene, told NBC’s “Today” show that it will take two tugs about 24 hours to bring the ship to port.
“But right now with the current conditions and what we saw onboard the cruise ship, that’s about the safest way to proceed as it stands now,” he said.
The U.S. Navy was also diverting the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan from training maneuvers to help. A plane was to drop off 35 pallets of supplies on the carrier that will be delivered to the cruise liner by helicopter, the Navy said in a statement.
35 miles north of Catalina is a heavily used glide path for east bound aircraft into LAX
“unexplainable”
Adj. 1. unexplainable - not to be accounted for or explained
Meaning they cannot for some reason explain it. What exactly IS that reason?
we can’t handle the truth is most likely.
So has anyone seen a report confirming or not, that the missile broke through the surface?
AND said Pentagon would be VERY busy finding out who did and why, and “addressing” the issue. The “We don’t know who fired it, but it is no big deal.”, attitude is the most alarming aspect of the whole situation.
It makes me think that someone else DID fire it, and caught us unaware, because if someone on our side screwed up and fired it, they would just say it was a test.
Troubling times.
May God bless.
Tatt
It still remains possible that this was a US operation, possibly a secretive one, that has gone very badly astray for one reason or another. But given the denials, this is looking less and less likely.
The possibility that this was an enemy is too mindboogling to even speculate on at this point.
U bet it is....
“Long As I Can See the Light” has a great “raw” sound to it, especially the drums....
I am still trying to figure out why and HOW there is even a remote chance that this could be true...
http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/manhattan/jad_monster_ball_Z7Km37ydJJJHSxgrxPtfbJ#ixzz14o3oinuS
Very slow response from Iman Obummer’s staff.
“I gotta believe that a CRUDES ship is banging away with a bone in her teeth looking for a sub if the Pentagon is right, that is wasn’t ours. Or, if it was a surface container launch, an ASCM launch from our units would have followed shortly.”
+1
I can’t buy the missile off a cargo ship theory. As has been repeated numerous times already our early detection radars knew from where this missile was fired within seconds. If whatever it was was fired from a cargo ship, said ship would be at the bottom of the Pacific by now.
IMO, this looks and smells like an SLBM - question is whose SLBM it was???
Absolutely NOT in international waters. If it was visible from LA, then it was well within the 200 miles off our shores we claim as out territory.
This was in our territorial waters.
Looks like it went straight up and then angled, under control.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.