By The Stars & Stripes has more information about that collision a Chinese submarine had with a US Navy sonar array:
The USS John S. McCain arrived Monday at Sasebo Naval Base following damage at sea to the ship’s multi-function towed-array sonar, Navy officials said.
A Navy spokesman would not confirm whether the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer sustained damage after the sonar array collided with a Chinese submarine Thursday, as multiple media outlets reported.
“We do not discuss detailed operational capabilities or locations of our ships,” 7th Fleet spokesman Cmdr. Jeff Davis said.
He did say the McCain was operating in international waters and conducting routine operations. The McCain’s home port is Yokosuka Naval Base, about 750 miles by land from Sasebo.
The Associated Press reported that a senior researcher with the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy Equipment Research Center, Yin Zhuo, said the collision was likely an accident. He said the American destroyer appeared to have failed to detect the submarine, while the Chinese vessel set its distance from the McCain assuming it was not carrying sonar arrays, according to the state-run China Daily.
A towed array is a long cable with hydrophones that is trailed behind a ship. It allows sonar technicians on both surface and submarine ships to hear vessels, aquatic life and other sounds within range.
According to a CNN report Friday, an unnamed U.S. military official attributed the array damage to an “inadvertent encounter” with a Chinese submarine.
The submarine did not strike the USS McCain’s hull, according to the CNN report.
Philippine Defense Undersecretary Alberto Valenzuela said the incident occurred about 144 miles from Subic Bay in the northwestern Philippines, outside the country’s territory, The Associated Press reported Monday.
That would place the incident within the South China Sea, which includes a submarine base built in recent years at Hainan Island.
“The base appears large enough to accommodate a mix of attack and ballistic missile submarines and surface combatant ships,” according to “Military Power of the People’s Republic of China,” a report prepared by the Defense Department for Congress in March.
The base gives the Chinese navy access to important sea lanes and “offers the potential for stealthy deployment of submarines into the South China Sea,” according to the report. [Stars & Stripes]
The important thing to take from this is that it did happen in international waters and it appears that the submarine was following the US ship and I have to assume the US ship must have picked up some kind of sonar signature from the submarine to cause it to deploy its sonar array which then struck the submarine. What I am wondering is, who picks up the bill for repairing the sonar array?
3:26 am on June 17th, 2009 1
Does anyone know how difficult it would be to intentionally sever the tow cable on one of these towed arrays?
9:03 pm on June 26th, 2009 2
this collision is a made by a 2 dumb country. i am not bright as they say but, what are they looking near our country? this chinese always taking our maritime wealth, fishes even our continent (spratly) and the corrupt mind of our president arroyo her husband and allies already. this american always playing as god, before & until now. if they want to fight each other, leave our country alone. you have your own country. if they want us to fight both of them, put down their guns and everything, just fight us one on one, with our bare hands. i think its fair for all of us. just to prevent using us in whatever intention they wanted from us. i hate our corrupt politics as of now here, dont make make me hate you, american and chinese. note: i am not good in english but maybe somebody understand it. thank you.
8:14 am on June 27th, 2009 3
I understand what you are saying, but you probably don’t. (1) You would speak Japanese and pay homage to the Emperor of Japan if not for the USA, but you probably have never heard of a little thing called World War II. (2) The interest of the USA is to preserve life and liberty of its citizens and ingrates of the world (they are incapable of protecting themselves.) (3) This incident didn’t happen in the territory of the PI.
Ever hear of a guy that said “I shall return”? His name was Douglas MacArthur and the PI owe him everything.
Don’t look for sympathy from me. The USA is not “playing” God, the USA is GOD!
10:22 am on February 16th, 2010 4
“Don’t look for sympathy from me. The USA is not “playing” God, the USA is GOD!”
Haha never heard it spoken like that before.
And the comment by Yin Zhuo is such a bs. So whey did McCain deploy the sonar? Just for the heck of it?
“The Associated Press reported that a senior researcher with the People’s Liberation Army’s Navy Equipment Research Center, Yin Zhuo, said the collision was likely an accident. He said the American destroyer appeared to have failed to detect the submarine,…”