Did a US warship lose power while chasing a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea?
PLA Navy officer claims unnamed vessel's radar and navigation lights failed while shadowing a Type 055 destroyer
Quick Look
The Chinese navy reported a South China Sea encounter where an unidentified foreign warship lost power, propulsion, and radar while shadowing the PLA Navy destroyer Zunyi during a training exercise, according to state broadcaster CCTV.
AI-generated summary
Why It Matters
The report describes an encounter between a Chinese Type 055 destroyer and an unidentified foreign vessel during training exercises.
The Chinese navy says it had a rare South China Sea encounter involving a foreign warship that lost power, propulsion and radar while following a People’s Liberation Army destroyer, an account that resembles incidents this year involving US Navy destroyers in the region.
The incident occurred when a foreign vessel conducted aggressive close shadowing of the PLA Navy Type 055 destroyer Zunyi during routine training by the Chinese vessel, state broadcaster CCTV reported on Wednesday.
The CCTV report did not identify the foreign warship or specify the date or exact location of the encounter.
Zhang Jun, an officer aboard the Zunyi, told the broadcaster that his ship had accelerated in high-speed cruise to force the foreign follower to speed up and keep pace.
“During the stand-off, [suddenly its] power and electricity all went out. Its radar stopped transmitting and its navigation lights went dark. That lasted for nearly half an hour,” Zhang said, adding that the Zunyi continued operating normally.
Open Questions
- What is the identity of the foreign warship?
- When and where exactly did the incident occur?
