100 Comments
User's avatar
MRT’s Haircut's avatar

Hahaha sucka! I pity the fools!

Kenneth watson's avatar

I love it when a plan comes together.

Andres Pico's avatar

That one goes into the Pun of the Day (POD)

Jetcal1's avatar

If not for the courage of the fearless crew the cutter would be lost. The cutter would be lost.

Dale Flowers's avatar

Tragic, yet an epic self-bone. Bad seamanship always makes the chickens come home to roost.

Adm leggoff's avatar

I'd like to see this every Monday morning.

Crankwalk's avatar

"Engines Amidships!"

"All Back Frantic!"

"S**t!"

MRT’s Haircut's avatar

I’m struck by how well built the Chinese frigate appears to be. Clean and it took the ramming like a champ. We are gonna need a lot of missiles.

Andy's avatar

I think the real story is the cutter, which appears to be one of the ones based on the type 56 corvette, had it bow torn off and doesn't seem to be listing. Seems like good construction and likely good damage control.

corsair's avatar

Her bow was dipping downward for obvious reasons, will be interesting if she can make it back to shore under her own power or, if she damage is too severe and she's taken-on too much water. Can't imagine there's much compartmentalization on that small of a ship.

Irfan Taj's avatar

Dont think it took lot of water, watertight integrity was well maintained. It was also maintaining its trim well and remained upright, no listing. I am sure it can head back to the closest Chinese port/ base, though at slow sped and having limited crew onboard and hopefully weather remains calm.

sid's avatar
Aug 12Edited

Good thing it wasn't a lightly built, minimally crewed, aluminum multihull suffering that collision at speed.

There would be a new reef in the South China Sea.

Andy's avatar

They couldn't keep up with that ship. Of course, sometimes bumper boats is policy and what may be needed so there needs to be something that can do that job.

sid's avatar
Aug 12Edited

"They couldn't keep up with that ship."

Retreating at speed...

The central Operational tenet of the LCS...

Solid plan to win a War at Sea.

https://share.google/xcPfGVUFuxgxvX4L7

Tell me again how many of the LCS 2 class can *actually in the Real World* make more than 32 knots?

And how well can that big waterjet propelled, multihull design *really* maneuver in a nimble manner?

.

Mike Brogley's avatar

As long as they can maneuver to take all missile impacts on the anchor…

sid's avatar
Aug 12Edited

Exactly what I was thinking.

Then immediately pondered how well...or actually ill...an Independence LCS would've fared in such a collision.

Have to wonder if the reserve buoyancy in the amas would be sufficient to keep one afloat.

Mattis2024's avatar

Agreed. Have to hand it to the CCP they have learned over the years.

Byron King's avatar

That video at 2:30 ... and 3:06 ... Wow!! Look at the size of the gash in PLAN 164. And at 2:49 ... Wow, oh wow!! Somebody lost a bow.

And then later in video, post-impact, it appears that 164 -- missing hull plates and all -- is chasing the Philippine vessel. Plenty of time to film nice video that documents the damage.

Mike Brogley's avatar

In the long video it looks to me like the PLAN ship was taking water through that missing hull section solely due to maintaining that pursuit.

And yeah, the two CCG sailors were right in the now-crunched bit. “Hey, you two - Go rig a fender in case we get close to something!”

corsair's avatar

You mean 3104 lost its bow, 164 was steaming ahead like nothing happened.

Mike Brogley's avatar

No, I am referring to the long vid where what looks like a dark gaping hole in 164s bow is visible as it chases the Philippine CG ship after the collision, though commenter corsair has since noted that that port side bow plate, where the anchor used to hang on 164, is painted black, so it might not be a hole.

Though I am not sure how PLAN 164s bridge could possibly know that at the time.

corsair's avatar

The large black area on the bow of 164 is the anchor and its hawsepipe; all type-052 have black painted anchor areas on their port sides. Looks like 3104's bow hit 164's anchor and continued scrapping down its port-side. I'm gonna say that anchor served as a fender, which resulted in 3104 loosing its bow.

PoliticalRanger's avatar

Nice move by the Phillipine command. Likely to be some retaliation from this though.

It's not just the sea surface temperatures that are heating up out there.

David C's avatar

Those poor guys stuck on the focsle of the CCG ship, putting out a fender seconds before the bow got taken off.

LT NEMO's avatar

Yeah, I imagine they reported to sick call ASAP with a few bruises, contusions, and likely broken bones.

BK's avatar

They are not likely to be alive.

Bill Tate's avatar

I wonder if I could just run that video on a repeat loop all day!!!

Andres Pico's avatar

Advanced ship handling with Chinese characteristics

Ron Snyder's avatar

Sure, unlike our handling of the USS McCain and the USS Fitzgerald.

LT NEMO's avatar

Well, this was a case of playing stupid games and winning stupid prizes.

McCain and Fitzgerald were just stupid.

Ron Snyder's avatar

Games were being played by the ship's crew and Senior Officers in both cases, and their stupid prizes resulted in dead sailors. It also involved incompetence and dereliction of duty.

billrla's avatar

That video needs to go on the Times Square Jumbotron, complete with Benny Hill music.

Andy's avatar

Yeah, put this out on your feed. John Q Public will tune into this one, but we need to make sure they see it.

corsair's avatar

Let's not get too joyous about this one....USN has had its share of ship handling and incompetencies. .....after all we're still waiting for someone to hang after watching LHD-6 burn at the pier.

Daman Collins's avatar

Maybe the PLA has its warships there to keep the Chinese coast guard under control. I watched the video and it clearly shows the PLA ship cutting across the Philippine coast guards stern in a protective maneuver, then they safely followed the Filipino ship a short distance before disengaging

Andy's avatar

We have friends everywhere.

Ken Adams's avatar

This is a generous interpretation of 164's intentions.

Gman79's avatar

Philippines has the moral high ground and did well. Some days you just want/need a big ass ship, say something with 12-16 inches of Class A and B armor and STS plates. Where could we find one? The whole world wonders.

Andy's avatar

I bet Zumwalt's bow could lift a ship that size and break the keel while slicing off the bow.

sid's avatar
Aug 12Edited

Of course it wouldn't be fair Andy.

The Chinese wouldn't even get a visual on the Graf Spee sized....but oh so Stealthy(!)... Zumwalt until it's 100 yards away!!

Also, why put those hypersonic missiles on them, when you could just fit the Big Zzz's with one of these high tech marvels!!!

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-uncover-ancient-warships-bronze-battering-ram-sunk-during-epic-battle-between-rome-and-carthage-180984983/

Archaeologists Uncover Ancient Warship’s Bronze Battering Ram, Sunk During an Epic Battle Between Rome and Carthage

corsair's avatar

Helps to run right into the ship's anchor and all the reinforcing around its hawespipe.

Mike Brogley's avatar

From the scrapes visible, CCG 3104s bow scraped all the way down PLAN 164s side, and then from 164s hard over, 3104 might have even been smacked again by 164s stern as it swung around.

And it’s impressive how PLAN 164 immediately abandoned their harassment efforts and leapt in to aid their revolutionary seagoing CCG comrades with their man overboard search for the two sailors seen rigging that fender on 3104s bow…NOT. It looks more like 164s bridge orders were “Do you hear a scraping noise? No, you idiot, keep after them!”

corsair's avatar

I'll give 164 some benefit of the doubt, comms from the outboard watches to the helm were likely delayed with the XO & OOD looking at each other in fear. Meanwhile the onboard commissar is cheering and learning forward in glee as his only concern was playing Smokey & The Bandit with the PCG vessel while ignoring all the ships in the vicinity.

Jetcal1's avatar

Imperialist dog! Our brave and compassionate People's Liberation Army Navy sailors saved those Filipino fishermen when the fearless Captain placed his ship between their ship and the Coast Guard ship which had lost steering.

BK's avatar

More Maotai and promotion to them. Lol.

Ahmed’s Stack of Subs's avatar

makes ya wonder how the chinese would do under stress

Random Reader / JD's avatar

Missing an entire plate after the impact.

Interesting from the construction aspect... maybe quality did not go in before the paint went on... ?

Joe Moschella's avatar

The guy throwing out the single bumper in advance of the collision wins the lost cause award of the day.