The USNS mapping ship Impeccable was engaged by Chinese ships in waters in the South China Sea the other day, prompting protests of harassment by American diplomats.
The AP reports that the Navy ship is not, strictly speaking, a spying vessel. Its purpose is to map the ocean floor using sonar to help guide Navy submarines as well as track those of other nations. OK, let me see if I have everything...Navy vessel…tracking submarines…in the South China Sea, but not a spy ship – check.
The Chinese armada included a Navy spy ship of its own – sorry, ocean floor mapping ship, a Bureau of Maritime Fisheries Patrol Vessel, a State Oceanographic Administration patrol vessel and two trawlers. Navy officials say the Impeccable was forced to use its fire hose in self defense, after a Chinese craft came within 25 feet of it. Strangely, the Chinese responded to this act in kind by stripping down to their underwear.
Savages.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
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