Chinese Sub Hits Underwater Sonar Array Being Towed by US Destroyer

A Chinese submarine collided with an underwater sonar array towed by the destroyer USS John S. McCain off the coast of the Philippines, CNN television said, quoting a US official who said it was an 'inadvertent encounter'. Photo:Guang Niu/AFP

On February 17, 2009, I wrote a blog wondering how two submarines, both carrying nuclear weapons, could collide in the Atlantic Ocean. The two submarines involved were French and British.

In the latest maritime accident a Chinese submarine has hit a sonar array being towed by a US destroyer.

CNN television reported a Chinese submarine colliding with an underwater sonar array being towed by the destroyer USS John S McCain off the coast of the Philippines. US officials are taking the stance that this was “inadvertent encounter.” The US Navy does not consider this a case of deliberate harassment.

While the sub and ship did not collide, the array, used to locate underwater sounds, was damaged in the incident.

In March, 2009, two tense standoffs between US and Chinese vessels in the South China Sea triggered accusations by the United States that China was behaving in an "aggressive" manner.

China later countered by saying a US naval vessel involved in the incident with Chinese fishing boats in the Yellow Sea had, in fact, been in violation maritime law. China further urged the United States to take steps to avoid a repetition.

Philippine Navy officer-in-command Vice Admiral Ferdinand Golez said they have no information on the alleged incident.

He also said that the USS John S. McCain was not in the Philippines and that Chinese submarines should not be passing through Philippine waters. However he admitted that the Philippine military has no equipment to detect such submarines.

I have to wonder what the true number of these types of incidents are. I am, after all, only one woman and her computer and I have managed to find two collisions in the past 5 months. I wonder how much information some one who knew what they were doing could find.