US and Russian Navies Blame Each Other for a Near Miss in South China Sea

Both say the other nearly caused a US cruiser and a Russian destroyer to collide

Both claim the other started a game of chicken and they were the ones to magnanimously back down

Russians claim the US cruiser forced the Russian destroyer to change course to avoid collision. The Americans claim it was the other way around, an “unsafe maneuver” by the Russians forced the US ship to “reverse full and steer away to avoid a collision”:

The U.S. Navy says a Russian destroyer almost collided with one of its guided missile-armed cruisers in the Philippine Sea and denounced the incident as “unsafe and unprofessional.”

“While operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer Udaloy I DD 572 made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville,” U.S. Seventh Fleet spokesman Commander Clayton Doss said on June 7.

Earlier on June 7, the press service of Russia’s Pacific Fleet had said that the USS Chancellorsville “unexpectedly changed course and crossed the route of Russia’s anti-submarine Admiral Vinogradov vessel 50 meters afar” in a “dangerous maneuver.”

Doss described the Russian assertion as “propaganda.” The Russian destroyer came to within 15 to 30 meters of the Chancellorsville, he said.

A Ticonderoga-class cruiser comes in at 10,000 tons, a Russian Udaloy-class destroyer at 8,000 tons.

The Russian ship had visited the Philippines in April — previously an exlusive port call of the Americans.

8 Comments
  1. Natural_Texan says

    If that had been a tanker or a huge cargo vessel the US ship would likely have collided with it.

  2. Muriel Kuri says

    All it would take is one accident, like this potential one, in this time of increased mistrust and hostility to have WWIII start. I hope things like this don’t happen more frequently and that the world returns to sanity.

    1. skinner15 says

      Don’t worry about it, the world knows full well that USN destroyers are always crashing into other ships at sea.

      It’s about time the UN demanded from the US the training programs the USN are using for their sailors.

      The USN seem to be training their ship pilots, as Kamikaze pilots.

      1. Jesus says

        “””USN seem to be training their ship pilots, as Kamikaze pilots.”””

        Considering the lack of antiship capabilities on part of US ships, ramming could be a logical choice if they dont get blown up by 130mm guns.

        1. skinner15 says

          I hear that the US are going to cram their naval ships with refugees, hoping that no one will fire at them.

          Seems a better plan than paying billions for the next Star Wars or Prompt Global Strike systems, that never work.

  3. JustPassingThrough says

    so let’s see the movies that both were making of the incident.

  4. John C Carleton says

    Hmmmmmmmm!!!!!!?????????

    South China Sea.
    Why are US and Russian ships patrolling the South China sea?
    Philanthropy?
    Let China do the patrolling in the South CHINA Sea.

    If everyone kept their military’s at home, be less wars.

    1. Ilya says

      Amen!

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