CNN reports that on Thursday, 11 June near Subic Bay in the Philippines, a Chinese Navy (PLAN) submarine hit the sonar towed array of USS John S. McCain, an Arleigh Burke destroyer. McCain, commissioned in 1994, displaces 8,850 tons fully loaded and has provision for an SQR-19B(V)1 passive (listening only) towed array. Neither the ship nor the sub were harmed, but the towed array, a cable fitted with hydrophones, did suffer damage. Unnamed U.S. officials are calling the event an inadvertent encounter, saying they dont think it was a deliberate act of Chinese harrassment.
To me, it sounds more like a close trailing that went bad, something which fits a parsing of the words used by these officials, although there are other plausible explanations that fit equally well. Was the Chinese sub diesel or nuclear powered? This would be important to evaluating deployment ranges and operational abilities of different PLAN sub classes. Were McCains sonarmen aware of the Chinese sub before the collision? This could shed light on the current relative level of Chinese submarine stealth and American surface ship ASW capabilities.
The SQR-19s cable is 1,700 meters (5,600 feet) long, so the sub had to at one point be within one nautical mile of the destroyer. Was the sub intentionally trailing McCain by using the latters propulsion noise as a passive sonar target, but she got too close, and hit the array by accident? (Such an event would be inadvertent, and wouldnt qualify as harrassment because it was unintentional.) Or did the sub approach McCain without realizing she was there, barely miss colliding with her or even sail right under her, and then hit the cable? An Arleigh Burke can be rather quiet if her propulsion noise is being masked by the bulk of her hull. Do Chinese submarine passive sonars have very poor figures of merit?
How did both vessels react right after the event? Did they communicate by radio, perhaps with the submarine surfacing? Or is the only evidence of the Chinese sub a sonar recording and the damaged array?
Given the secrecy of submarine and ASW ops, and the U.S. Navys desire to not sensationalize the late-2006 close encounter beween a Chinese sub and the carrier USS Kitty Hawk near Guam, the public might not hear much more now. But such encounters cant occur unless Chinese submarines and American surface ships are operating in the same waters. The PLAN is certainly beginning to make its undersea presence felt in the strategic First and Second Island Chains separating China from the vast and deep Pacific. Will this trend continue, or even intensify?
– Joe Buff
{ 17 comments… read them below or add one }
And the final question, did the chinese sub have a Los Angeles or Virginia sub on its tail? Or is the Navy still sleeping at the wheel after the Kitty Hawk got panty-raided a couple years ago.
“panty-raided!!! Is my take…”
Do you believe the United States has a Virginia class or Sea-wolf to follow every Chinese SS they put in the water (many a year by the way, but not the US submarine program… how many NEW submarines have we put in the water the water in the last five years?) You need to understand the “real” facts of who is taking their Anti-Submarine Warfare seriously to answer that question. Commanders are left no choice but to use their STG’s to man Visit Board Search and Seizures (VBSS) Teams or Small Craft Assault Teams (SCAT) watches vise the SONAR shack to look for submarines (with the equipment they need to spend time on to maintain critical proficiency on, which they do not have) because they are short handed and need their trained personnel to assist everywhere else on the ship They do not have the man power to stand all of the watches required to run the ship 24/7 so the SONAR remains at the bottom of the totem pole (even though they are responsible for ½ of the battle space a ship floats in) and it would the correct course of action for the Chinese to take and has proven to be on mark with their boats getting within striking range of the US carriers (one of which ADM Fallon was on and upset that they could do so… even at the CNO’s order that ASW be the #1 Priority…? As it has been for EVERY YEAR he has for the last 10 years…) Commanders ignore him and move in their own direction to make the next pay-grade and benefit themselves vise the United States of America or the “Constitution” for which they all took an oath to protect and preserve… NOT! Despicable I say! I’ve stood the watch for the last 24 years and it just kills me… figuratively speaking only though… but there are many sons and daughters that will be joining our Navy that it might not be so figuratively speaking… The USS Cole is a prime example of what I speak of… Ships movements are open to anyone listening and could be targeted because com-sec is not pretty anymore and NOT PRACTICED! The internet and face-book speak volumes to what I say… With the Navy’s security practices of today it does not take but a simple (meek) man to take the fight to the United States of America… because we are forgetting the basics and forgetting what we stated to be a truth… NOT TO BE A PEACH TIME MILITARY… but the politicians do it because the American citizens DO NOT CARE… at least after two minutes or two days… it’s no longer popular… and as American’s that is all that we give a “crap” about… Obama has it right… if he can just hold out long enough… he will win… even with all that is great about and in America… he is right… because we have too many people that do not know the issues and have “NOT” know as long as I have been alive 50 years+… I digress… live long and prosper China…
The US Navy is still asleep at the wheel.
Surface ships leave a huge trace on a Passive Broadband display; although, that trace sounds just like a rainstorm if they are using the Prarie-Masker system.
I’d bet the watchstanders in the Shack on the McCain had the boat on at least one screen, since it was so close to the array. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were in an OPSEC-A running mode, with all the new STG’s out of the rack for training.
gsak,
I agree on the Prarie-Masker. Cool stuff that has been around for a long time.
Mr. Moore,
The Kitty Hawk was compromised in 2006, during Bush II watch. Nothing happened but a big downplay. North Korea fired off their fist nuke and launched their first “ICBM” during his watch too. Give me a break dude.
If the TACTAS was out I am sure they were listening. If they were listening they should have known the Chinese sub was approaching.
There is something amiss here. I would assume it is either training or equipment related. Maybe they don’t have the cash to train like they did many years ago. Or maybe their equipment isn’t as specific to ASW as it needs to be.
DC2
The sub definitely heard the ship’s noisy propeller at that distance and was trailing it. This is typical during the cold war between the US and Soviet subs. The PLAN is nowhere at the proficiency of the Soviet Navy though they are learning. It just means that China is exploring and asserting its power over the area. Would you do that if you were them ?
Well just as a very wild speculation, did the Chinese sub in its wildest dreams think it might be able to sever the cable and somehow capture the towed unit???
Hey, just a thought…
Alot of good questions Joe but at least we have one answer – Just how close to a USN towed passive array does a Chinese submarine have to get before being detected.
Matt poses a great scenario here. I believe the Soviets did a successful ‘snatch and grab’ of an array with a Victor II off an OHP class frigate in the Med in the late 80′s.
Sure, there is a huge risk of fouling your prop if you get too close, but the distance separation you get if the array is all the way out and deep (below the thermocline) at least goes a long way to minimizing the collision risk. Also, for maximum effectiveness on the array you cannot be going too fast so it makes maneuvering in close quarters easier.
Yo! Everybody. Let’s backtrack to step one.
Where was it posted/who confirmed that it was a [u]Chinese[/u] sub? The USN? The Chinese? CNN?
No, [u]you[/u] backtrack and get qualified Narrowband Sonar.
Good post, Rip. Raises an entire series of issues such as PLAN opsec procedures & US surveillance of PLAN ops.
I don’t see here how we can know whether the McCain & the boat were on parallel, opposite or, less likely, crossing courses.
Good Evening Joe,
I would rather think that we have been given an almost truth on this one by the USN. Although not a pure accident I thing the “collision” was unintended by the Chinese skipper.
Not give of course is the SSN that was escorting the U.S.S. McCain and how close it was or if the what McCain was doing was a training excercise or part of a routine patrol activity. I’m sure that after the Kitty Hawk Inicident and the U.S.N.S. Impeccable in the same general area in March that the USN has it’s ears on.
The activities at the Naval Base on Hanan Island, the Parcel Islands, the air base on Wood Island and what ever is going on on Rocky, in the Amphitrite Group Is of interest to the Obama Administration. All of this information of course is in the CIA fact book as I assume you already know Joe, goggle earth can also give you a photo of Woody Island.
An interesting footnote to all this is Palau Island and the taking of a dozen prisoners from Guantanamo and an increase in US Government air fro $20 million to $200 million, I wonder if there is a Naval base in Palau’s future, maybe a brig to hold the terrorists?
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
It would seem obvious that the Chinese sub was operating from the Spratley Islands,& since we don’t have a permanent presence in Subic Bay or the rest of the Philippines(Clark Air Base),I guess it’s the chinese’s water now. I still think that the submarine is the “capital(or is it capitol?) ship” of the 21st Century,replacing the aircraft carrier in importance,just the aircraft carrier replaced the battleship during WWII. If it(the Chinese sub) was diesel,then it certainly is that it was launched from & based in the Spratley’s.
Great post, Allen. Thanks!
Rip: The U.S. Navy confirmed the event on Sunday, China confirmed the event earlier. But media coverage seems confused about whether the encounter happened in Philippine territorial waters or not.
The encounter happened 125 nm from the Phillipine coast, which is in international waters based on the standards most countries (including the U.S. and the Philippines but not China) hold to. This was confirmed by a senior Philippine Navy official, who also stated that the USS McCain had not participated in exercises with his navy since late May, and thus the whole event was not his country’s concern.
It is interesting that re the harrassment of the sonar surveillance ship USNS Impeccable by 5 Chinese ships, Impeccable was outside their 12 mile limit but inside the 200-mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ), which China claims is forbidden to foreign warships as being inside their “territorial limit.” The U.S. refuses to recognize this claim. All agree tho that whatever a territorial limit is, foreign submarines may not operate inside it while submerged. AND YET, in the Philippines, a Chinese submarine was operating, submerged, inside that country’s EEZ!!!
The irony of statesmanship is picking and choosing the facts that are used to justify your course of actions, Joe? The details of the EP-3 that was struck by a PLA Mig several years ago were justified by a similar process..:). This was also used as an excuse by the Isreali’s after the Liberty, that while (just)outside the 12 mile exclusion zone, was inside the zone that they were going to defend. If the Chinese can muddy the facts enough, the facts are not as important as they are. 1984 (George Orwell’s classic) is alive and well in 2009, and will be relevant for a long time to come. The idea of a double standard is not new to governments or individuals. Submarines play by different rules, I think, and that stealth goes to their benefit and the governments. I am reminded of the Oliver North quote about plaasible denial. It’s hard to miss an Impeccable or EP-3, submarines are another story. I am interested to see what will happen if we interfere with a North Korean ship, to ensure it is not moving arms. The PLA are at least somewhat restrained in the level of violence that they are willing to use. I do not see the US escalating the situation beyond what happened with the Impeccable, nor the PLA but you never know.
why dont we use the soviet sub we took in 1985 its sleek/and has no signature and it faster than ours it was floated kitery main area