CDR Salamander - The Scarborough Shoal Bumper Boats

It was only a matter of time until there was a serious incident involving Chinese bullying in the South China Sea, but I didn’t have a Red-on-Red on my betting card.

“The [Chinese coastguard vessel] CCG 3104, which was chasing the [Philippine coastguard vessel] BRP Suluan at high speed, performed a risky manoeuvre from the [Philippine] vessel’s starboard quarter, leading to the impact with the PLA [People’s Liberation Army] Navy warship,” spokesman Commodore Jay Tarriela said in a statement.

“This resulted in substantial damage to the CCG vessel’s forecastle, rendering it unseaworthy,” he said.

The incident occurred as the Philippine coastguard escorted boats distributing aid to fishermen in the area, Tarriela added.

The People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) ship hull number 164 is the 7,500-ton Type 053D (Luyang III class) destroyer Guilin. She’s just four years old.

It’s interesting to see that the US Navy isn’t the only navy that seems to want its navy to do coast guard functions. While neither Chinese ship makes a Sailor proud, the PLAN is clearly the issue here.

The Sun has the best video summary I’ve seen, and it tells the story better than a bunch of my typing, so give it a watch.

Final note: BZ to the calm professionalism of the Philippine Coast Guard.

Leave a comment

Share

View the full article