Tag: U.S. Navy

Chinese Internet Posters Angry Government Did Not Attack US Navy Ship

| October 28, 2015

Chinese Internet posters are supposedly going bonkers over the fact that a US Navy ship conducted a freedom of navigation patrol through the South China Sea which the Chinese government ridiculously claims is part of China:

SCS Image

On Oct. 27, the high-stakes maritime game of chicken that has been playing out in the South China Sea came to a head. In a long-discussed freedom of navigation patrol, the United States sailed the USS Lassen, a guided missile destroyer, within 12 miles of artificial islands that China has built amid territorial disputes in the South China Sea. China tracked and warned the U.S. vessel; the operation concluded without incident and prompted swift condemnation from China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. But after weeks of tough government rhetoric claiming that China would not stand for what it views as a violation of its territorial sovereignty, Chinese social media voices are now mocking what many perceive as a spineless official response.  [Foreign Policy]

Despite all the online venom to attack the US ship one Chinese Internet user left a popular post which accurately reflects what I think is going on:

China’s shrill online nationalists may dominate the web in the aftermath of a flashpoint, but while common, such online outrage has not led to government action in the past. And some netizens harbor more nuanced perspectives. One particularly discerning Weibo user, who identified himself as a 22-year-old native of China’s northeastern Shandong province, also seemed to take the long view of the South China Sea, noting the behind-the-scenes machinations that make the region so complex. “This seems like a game,” wrote the user in a popular comment. “Not only have both countries maintained their reputations, neither country has suffered any losses.” Another observed somewhat sardonically that the situation, all told, was “well managed.” The user noted that China had “gotten rid of the U.S. ship, maintained its sovereignty, and hasn’t worsened the situation. Afterwards, it can be used as an excuse for militarization in the South China Sea.”

Like I have said before the US’s and China’s interests in the South China Sea do no necessarily come into conflict.  From the US perspective we want freedom of navigation through the SCS.  From the Chinese perspective they want strategic space to defend the sea lanes leading to the southeastern China and to a lesser extent the fishing and mineral rights.  As long as each side respects the others interests in the SCS there is no reason for conflict unless the Chinese government is stupid enough to listen to hateful commenters on the Internet.

Navy Commander Hospitalized After Beating Due to Affair

| September 8, 2015

This naval commander sounds like a candidate for his own reality TV show:

A Navy commander who served as the executive officer of a submarine repair facility in Georgia was relieved of duty on Aug. 24, the Navy announced Monday.

Cmdr. Vincent J. Wood, who was second in charge at the Trident Refit Facility at Kings Bay, was removed from his position because of an ongoing investigation into allegations of personal misconduct, the Navy said.

Wood, who had held his job since April, was removed by Capt. Gunter Braun, commanding officer of the facility. Wood has been administratively reassigned to Submarine Group 10 at Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay.

According to the Navy Times, Wood is accused of having an affair with a married civilian employee. The Times said he violated a protective order that required he stay away from the woman.

Quoting a police report, the Times said the two were found together on Aug. 23, and the woman’s husband got into a fight with Wood, who was then hospitalized. Wood suffered “a large contusion to his left eye, several knots on his head, an abrasion to the bridge of his nose, a small cut under his nose, and abrasions to both knees,” according to the report that the Times quoted.  [Stars & Stripes]

Former US Sailor Finds Missing Daughter After 46 Years of Searching

| July 21, 2015

It is good to see that this former sailor was able to be reunited with daughter:

The words that Navy veteran James Walker had longed to hear for almost 46 years appeared on his Facebook page Saturday.

“Your search is over .. I am found .. i love you Dad,” said the message from a woman claiming to be the daughter he left behind in Japan when he went off to fight in the Vietnam War.

Walker contacted the person who made the post, Emi McGowan of Sarasota, Fla., and then questioned her mother, Tomie Miller of Mesa, Ariz.

“I called her mother, and she told me things that only her mother would know,” he said, noting that he’s been contacted by numerous scam artists claiming to be his daughter since Stars and Stripes ran a story about his search in March.

“You never know if somebody is trying to pull something over on you,” he said.

Now, he’s convinced that his search is over.

Shortly after his daughter’s birth in 1968, Walker got orders to return to the U.S. from Japan. At the time, he was a petty officer third class at Naval Air Facility Atsugi, near Tokyo.

Walker wrote to the girl many times and made other unsuccessful efforts to track her down, including a trip back to their old neighborhood near Atsugi. He credited the Stars and Stripes article, which was translated into Japanese and widely shared on Facebook, with helping him make the breakthrough.

McGowan, who said she has been searching for her father since she was 18, reported that a friend saw the story and sent her the accompanying photo.

“I looked at the baby in the picture and I was looking at myself in the mirror. My face has really not changed,” she said.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read the rest at the link, but Walker’s daughter hasn’t had an easy life because she currently has three kids and is homeless.

Littoral Combat Ship To Participate in Foal Eagle Exercise

| February 19, 2015

One of the Navy’s highly controversial acquisitions programs is about to make its debut in South Korea:

The U.S. Navy will send its new combat ship tailored for Asia’s shallow coastal waters to join military drills with South Korea that North Korea calls a prelude for invasion.

Carrying a helicopter, a vertical takeoff unmanned aerial vehicle, a 57 millimeter gun and 21 missiles, the USS Fort Worth will become the first littoral combat ship to take part in the annual Foal Eagle exercises starting next month off the coast of South Korea.

“The specific role that Fort Worth will play in Foal Eagle is really no different than any other Navy ship has for years,” Rear Adm. Charles Williams told reporters Tuesday in Singapore on board Fort Worth. “Fort Worth’s role will be just a normal part of that exercise,” said Williams, who is Logistics Group Western Pacific Commander.

The 389-foot littoral combat ship — the second to have been deployed to the region — will operate in Asia for 16 months, primarily in Southeast Asia, within the 7th Fleet. In North Asia, the ship will make port visits in Japan, a U.S. ally immersed in a territorial spat with China. Williams said the littoral combat ship could also operate in South Asia. [Bloomberg]

You can read more at the link.

US and ROK Navies Begin Anti-Submarine Naval Exercise

| January 14, 2015

The US and ROK militaries have begun a naval exercise that has got the North Koreans predictably pissed off about:

The U.S. and South Korea on Tuesday kicked off a two-day joint naval drill that includes two U.S. destroyers and several South Korean vessels.

The USS Mustin and the USS John McCain, each with about 280 personnel, are participating off South Korea’s eastern coast. Commander Naval Forces Korea spokesman Lt. Arlo Abrahamson said the exercise includes anti-submarine warfare training, communication drills, ship maneuvers and liaison officer exchanges.

“Some of it they’ve done ashore, and some of it they do at sea,” he said.

The South Korean destroyer Gwanggaeto, a submarine, anti-submarine aircraft and two helicopters are also taking part, according to a South Korean navy spokesman, who said the exercise is meant to reinforce the allies’ readiness posture against North Korea, which is believed to have some 70 submarines.  [Stars & Stripes]

You can read more at the link.