Russia claims a US warship ran away after one of its destroyers threatened to ram it, but the US Navy says it didn't happen
By: Ryan Pickrell - Business Insider News - 11-24-20
Re:
https://www.businessinsider.com/us-r...at-sea-2020-11
Photo link of US Vessel:
https://i.insider.com/5cef1bb511e205...jpeg&auto=webp
USS John S. McCain - USN
* The US Navy guided-missile destroyer USS John S. McCain conducted a freedom-of-navigation operation Thursday that challenged Russia's excessive maritime claims in the Sea of Japan.
* Russia accused the US of violating its territory and claimed that the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov warned the American vessel and threatened to ram it. The Russian defense ministry said that the US ship departed immediately after the warning.
* The US Navy said that the Russian statement is "false," and a Navy official told Insider that there was nothing unsafe, unprofessional, or threatening about the encounter.
Russia is claiming victory in a naval confrontation that the US Navy says never happened.
The US destroyer USS John S. McCain conducted a freedom-of-navigation operation (FONOP) in the vicinity of Peter the Great Bay in the Sea of Japan on Thursday, challenging excessive Russian maritime claims, 7th Fleet said in a statement.
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union attempted to claim territorial waters beyond what is accepted in international law, and Russia continues those claims today. The US, however, does not acknowledge those waters as Russian territory.
The Russian defense ministry said that the US warship violated its maritime borders by sailing through Russian territorial waters and that the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov was sent to drive the American ship away.
The defense ministry said that the Russian warship issued a warning and threatened to use "a ramming maneuver" to force the McCain out of its waters. Russia claims that after the warning was issued, the Admiral Vinogradov changed course, and the McCain returned to international waters.
The US, however, flatly rejected this version of events.
"The Russian Federation's statement about this mission is false," the 7th Fleet said in an update to its original statement, adding that "USS John S. McCain was not 'expelled' from any nation's territory. McCain conducted this FONOP in accordance with international law and continued to conduct normal operations in international waters."
While the Admiral Vinogradov was there, a Navy official told Insider that all interactions during the FONOP were in accordance with international law, which is to say there was nothing unsafe, unprofessional, or threatening about the encounter.
The US Navy has had "unsafe" encounters with Admiral Vinogradov in the past though.
2n photo link:
https://i.insider.com/5fbd1a8932f217...jpeg&auto=webp
The US Navy cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG 62), right, is forced to maneuver to avoid collision from the approaching Russian destroyer Admiral Vinogradov, closing to approximately 50-100 feet putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk. US Navy
In early June 2019, the Russian destroyer maneuvered dangerously close to the US Navy cruiser USS Chancellorsville in the Pacific, risking a collision at sea. The Russian vessel came within 100 feet of the US vessel as it was attempting to recover a helicopter.
"This unsafe action forced USS Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision," 7th Fleet said at the time.
Russia tried to blame the US for the 2019 incident, with the defense ministry claiming that the US ship "suddenly changed course and cut across the path of the destroyer Admiral Vinogradov," but photos from the incident poke holes in the Russian argument.
The US and Russian militaries have also had a number of close calls in the air as well in recent years, such as when Russian fighters carried out three "unsafe" intercepts of US P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft in April and May.
And, in August, there was an incident in which Russian fighter jets crossed within 100 feet of the nose of a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress bomber, risking an accident.
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Personal note: Putin is getting a little out of hand of late. These incident's could've cost the lives of men and ships at sea. Testing the water's is a dangerous game. It seems Russia is stepping up its encounters of late and it will result in lost of men and vessels.
I have no idea where their lines are drawn on the sea - but I'm sure both sides are aware of the deadly games they play. This will be something Biden will have to address both with Russia and his Naval Dept. We don't need any incidents to come about from so-called lines in the water.
Note: Territorial Disputes and Cross-Border Management
Territorial sea is defined under the UNCLOS as the 12-nautical mile zone from the baseline or low-water line along the coast. The coastal state's sovereignty extends to the territorial sea, including its seabed, subsoil and air space above it.
Cross-Border Ecological Preservation and Biosafety
Re:
https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics...itime-boundary
* The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
Territorial Disputes and Cross-Border Management
11.1.4 Inconsistent or Contradictory Statements
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) is established to define coastal and maritime boundaries, to regulate seabed exploration not within territorial claims, and to distribute revenue from regulated exploration. Territorial sea is defined under the UNCLOS as the 12-nautical mile zone from the baseline or low-water line along the coast. The coastal state’s sovereignty extends to the territorial sea, including its seabed, subsoil and air space above it. Article 56 of the UNCLOS outlines parameters for the establishment of a country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which extends 200 nautical miles from the country’s coastline. Article 56 gives sovereign rights for exploration, exploitation, conservation and resource management of living and non-living natural resources of waters in the country’s EEZ. Article 76 defines the continental shelf of a nation, which ‘comprises the seabed and subsoil of the submarine areas that extend beyond its territorial sea throughout the natural prolongation of its land territory to the outer edge of the continental margin or to a distance of 200 nautical miles…’ (cited from UNCLOS, 1982).
However, the establishment of the UNCLOS parameters has also created the potential for overlapping claims in semi-enclosed seas. These claims could be further extended by any nation which could establish a settlement on the islands at these seas. Indeed, Article 121 of the UNCLOS, which states that ‘rocks that cannot sustain human habitation or economic life of their own shall have no exclusive economic zone or continental shelf’, has flaws in identifying if the object is an islet or rock.
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But are these held by all countries or does it vary? Are all Member's or rogue nations?
I don't know
Boats