Posted on 03/27/2010 8:54:02 AM PDT by TigerLikesRooster
Naval patrol boat capsizes after sinking
[ 2010-03-27 10:32 ]
March 27, INCHEON, South Korea -- A South Korean Coast Guard ship (R) approaches the Navy's patrol ship Cheonan, which capsized after sinking on March 26, during a rescue operation in the Yellow Sea, west of Seoul, on March 27. Only part of the sunken ship's bottom remained above water. (Yonhap)
(END) / 데스크1
(7th LD) S. Korea continues rescue operations on sunken ship
(ATTN: UPDATES with comments by ship captain in paras 10-14, salvage boat heading to the scene)
By Shin Hae-in
SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) — Military rescuers will continue their search through the night for dozens of sailors who went missing when their warship sank after a mysterious explosion in its hull, officials said Saturday.
A 1,200-ton South Korean Navy corvette with 104 sailors on board went down late Friday evening near the Yellow Sea border with North Korea, the scene of three bloody skirmishes between the navies of the two countries in November last year, 1999 and 2002.
Military officials said a total of 58 sailors have so far been rescued, with 46 others still unaccounted for and rescue operations delayed due to bad weather. A salvage vessel was due to arrive at the scene Sunday afternoon to expedite rescue efforts.
North Korea's possible involvement was initially suspected, but Seoul government officials said it was premature to draw any conclusions.
“It is hard to say for sure now, but chances appear to be slim that North Korea was related,” a senior official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. “If North Korea's attack really caused the sinking, it means there is a serious loophole in our defense system.”
Navy divers had planned to go underwater to search the sunken craft Cheonan which officials said is protruding from the shallow waters about 24 meters deep, but the effort was hampered by inclement weather.
Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said after visiting the disaster site that the government is “yet to track down the exact cause behind the tragedy.”
“The investigation hasn't been easy due to strong currents. I could see the difficulties there. We have 40 minutes or so for the divers to stay in the waters each day,” Kim told reporters.
“Making predictions is meaningless in this situation, I believe. We are making the utmost effort to find anyone. Please bear with us.”
Choi Won-il, captain of the sunken vessel, said his ship tilted to the right soon after he heard a loud bang as he was looking over an operation plan in his cabin.
“All power and communication means were lost,” he said. “When I came out of the cabin, the rear of the vessel was already missing,” he told a group of families of the missing sailors.
The defense minister said images of Cheonan, as taken by special equipment called thermal observation device (TOD), indicate that the ship was split in half before sinking.
The National Assembly's defense committee was briefed that the captain had communicated with Pyeongtaek-based 2nd Navy Fleet, to which Cheonan belonged, saying that his ship was sinking.
The captain also reported that the blast, the loss of power, and the ship's split all occurred in less than two minutes, according to lawmakers who received the briefing.
The sunken vessel, known to be 88 meters long and 10 meters wide, was put into service in 1989, according to Navy officials.
President Lee Myung-bak re-convened a security meeting later Saturday after several hours of break to assess the latest developments. All South Korean government officials were put on standby.
President Lee ordered a “quick and thorough” investigation with “all possibilities” in mind, the presidential office Cheong Wa Dae spokeswoman Kim Eun-hye told reporters.
“The military should make all-out efforts to rescue as many survivors as possible,” the spokesman quoted the president as saying as he presided over the security meeting.
The Navy vessel, armed with missiles and torpedoes, went down well inside South Korean waters, about 1.8 kilometers from South Korea's northernmost island of Baengnyeong, a fact that may preclude North Korean involvement.
Quoting reports from the crew of the sunken ship, defense officials said an unidentified explosion punched a hole near the screw, forcing the craft to take on water.
On Saturday, multiple officials told Yonhap News Agency that chances of North Korea's involvement appear slim. They cited the relatively long distance between the maritime border and the scene of the incident.
The incident took place at a sensitive time when South Korea, along with the U.S. and three other regional players, are stepping up efforts to lure North Korea back to six-party nuclear disarmament talks that have been stalled since late 2008. The other countries involved are China, Japan and Russia.
President Lee instructed his government to update the other members of the six-way talks on the situation
North Korea has remained silent on the incident, with its military showing no unusual moves, according to South Korean defense officials.
Cross-border traffic between the two Koreas remains normal, with seven South Korean company officials visiting a mountain resort in the communist nation as scheduled, according to the Unification Ministry.
“We are detecting no unusual movement from North Korea,” Joint Chiefs of Staff spokesman Park said. Another JCS officer, Lee Ki-shik, said the military is “very cautious about pointing fingers at North Korea or any other causes at the moment.”
In Washington, the State Department said it has no evidence of North Korea's involvement.
“Let's not jump to conclusions here,” State Department spokesman Philip Crowley said Friday, responding to a question about any North Korean involvement. “I'm not aware of any evidence to that effect. But I think the authoritative source here would be the South Korean government.”
Military officials were narrowing down the possibilities to the vessel's collision with a rock, a torpedo attack from outside forces, including North Korea, or an internal explosion due to the gunpowder and explosives the ship was carrying.
The Navy plans to salvage the sunken vessel for investigation to determine what caused the incident, a long process that may take at least 20 days, officials said. The ship, first deployed in 1989, was equipped with missiles and torpedoes, according to officials.
The incident comes amid heightened tension between the two Koreas, which technically remain in a state of conflict since the 1950-1953 Korean War ended in a truce, not a peace treaty. North Korea has said in recent weeks it is bolstering its defense in response to joint South Korean-U.S. military drills that were held this month.
North Korea does not recognize the western sea border, drawn by the United Nations at the end of the Korean War, and claims that it should be redrawn further south.
Capsizes after sinking? Now that would be a first.
Capsizing, OTOH, could just mean "turn over"...
What am I missing here?
The sea around the location of sinking is shallow, some 20~30 meter(approx 67~100 feet) deep. That is why the part of ship could stick out to the surface.
It sank into the shallow sea(70~100 feet deep.) The ship is 88 meter(some 300 feet) long. That is why part of the ship can stick out to the surface.
The ship rolled around while sinking. It finally went down with its bottom up.
Has anyone seen a closeup of the hole>
Inward bent metal would indicate an external explosion, such as a torpedo or mine. Outward bent metal would indicate an internal, probably accidential, explosion.
Who writes this crap
Has anyone seen a closeup of the hole? (oops>
Inward bent metal would indicate an external explosion, such as a torpedo or mine. Outward bent metal would indicate an internal, probably accidential, explosion.
Yes, many here are dying to find that out, too. I suspect they may know by now, but no announcement. The ship is said to be completely broken in half while sinking. Probably many pieces are down there, creating navigation hazard for navy divers.
Bush did it.
I was going to say.
Eternal Father...
Would the South appease and cover up the incident?
The defense minister said images of Cheonan, as taken by special equipment called thermal observation device (TOD), indicate that the ship was split in half before sinking.
Torpedo. Has to be one Hell of an explosion to bust a keel in half. Not likely an internal explosion.
Sounds like this is going to be a TWA 800 investigation.
Rear Adm. Lee Ki-sik of the Joint Chiefs of Staff told lawmakers "The explosion at the rear of the Cheonan shut down its engine, wiped out power and caused the ship to sink a little over three hours later...
Should make the investigation easier. Im betting on a mine, and open to a *very* remote possibility of an internal explosion. But with the hole right there, a definitive provable answer should be coming.
"No Higher Honor" is a book detailing the extraordinary tale of the USS Samuel B. Roberts (FFG 58) which was hit by a mine in the Persian Gulf back in 1988
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