South Korean navy ship sinking near North - possibly torpedoed

[HisMajestyBOB]

HMB what do you know about this paper? It seems rather sensationalist and wikipedia says it's rightwing. Do you know how reliable it's supposed to be?

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/02/2010040200382.html

Suspicion of N.Korean Hand in Sinking Mounts

Military insiders believe there is mounting evidence that the Navy corvette Cheonan was hit by a North Korean torpedo before it broke in two and sank in waters near the de-facto inter-Korean border. But the Defense Ministry and military authorities insist on the importance of establishing the exact cause of the incident before any conclusions are announced.

A senior military officer on Thursday said, "There is a 60 to 70 percent chance that the ship was hit" by a North Korean torpedo. But he added the question remains whether any evidence was left behind.

He based his speculation on indications that the ship was sunk by an external explosion and that a torpedo was in his view a more likely cause than an old mine from the days of the Korean War, a possibility that has also been floated.

When he visited Baeknyeong Island near the scene of accident on Tuesday, President Lee Myung-bak asked Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Kim Sung-chan whether there would be identifiable traces left behind in a mine explosion, and Kim said it is hard to tell but there is also the possibility of a torpedo attack. Kim added it is fairly certain that the ship's ammunition storage did not blow up.

At a recent session of the National Assembly Defense Committee, Defense Minister Kim Tae-young said North Korea has semi-submersibles that can carry two torpedoes and can fire them from a certain distance."

Right after the accident, the Second Navy Fleet Command elevated the maritime alert to the highest level, Grade A, and sent the Navy vessel Sokcho near the Northern Limit Line, the de-facto maritime border.

When an unidentified object appeared on the radar screen around 10:55 p.m. on March 26, the Sokcho believed it to be a North Korean semi-submersible and fired about 130 shells from 76 mm guns.

But other experts say that the North has no reason to launch such a reckless provocation with the approach of its leader Kim Jong-il's imminent visit to China and the resumption of the six-party nuclear talks.

But a retired chief of naval operations said, "In 2002 when the World Cup reached its climax, the North unexpectedly provoked the second battle of Yeonpyeong in the West Sea. The North has done many things that are inexplicable by common sense."

[Hans]I rely on Blogs mostly[/Hans]

http://freekorea.us/
For North Korean related news.

http://www.monster-island.net/
http://www.rjkoehler.com/
http://us.asiancorrespondent.com/korea-beat/
For more general news.

http://rokdrop.com/
For military news, though he tends to be pretty far right-wing.

[jimmy olsen]

Certain signs of damage suggest powerful blast from outside ship

http://joongangdaily.joins.com/article/view.asp?aid=2919126

A military source said there was "no significant damage" to the part of the stern where the ammunition storage is located.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/13/2010041300290.html

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like things are gonna get tense.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jQydsIWmNQZpwRriADac51u5rx8gD9F3T2R80

SKorea says external explosion likely sank ship

By KWANG-TAE KIM (AP) – 1 hour ago

SEOUL, South Korea — An external explosion most likely sank a South Korean navy ship that split apart three weeks ago, an investigator said Friday, amid concerns about possible North Korea involvement in the disaster.

The 1,200-ton Cheonan split into two pieces after exploding March 26 during a routine patrol near the tense maritime border with North Korea. Fifty-eight crew members were rescued, but 46 were missing for weeks.

There has been some suspicion but no confirmation of North Korean involvement in the sinking. The disputed western sea border has in the past been the scene of three bloody inter-Korean naval battles. South Korean officials have said they will look into all possibilities, including that the ship might have been struck by a North Korean torpedo or a mine left over from the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korean officials have reportedly denied their country's involvement in the blast.

The salvage operation began Thursday, with officials retrieving 38 bodies so far. Eight other remain unaccounted for, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

A team of 38 investigators, including U.S. navy officials, conducted a preliminary investigation of the ship's stern after lifting it out of the water.

"There is a high possibility of an external explosion rather than an internal explosion," chief investigator Yoon Duk-yong told reporters Friday. He said further analysis is needed to determine the exact cause of the blast, after salvaging the ship's other wreckage.

The sinking was one of South Korea's worst naval disasters. In 1974, a ship sank off the southeast coast in stormy weather, killing 159 sailors and coast guard personnel. In 1967, 39 sailors were killed by North Korean artillery.

The Associated Press

[Razgovory]

Or not.

Though I would like to think that you live in this state of heightened panic all the time.

[jimmy olsen]

Looks like a torpedo is the main suspect.

http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2010/04/16/2010041601024.html

Bubble Jet from Torpedo 'Likely' Cause of Shipwreck

After an initial examination of the stern of the Navy corvette Cheonan on Thursday, the military tentatively concluded that the corvette had not been hit directly by a torpedo but broke in two due to a bubble jet created by an underwater explosion. The stern was raised 20 days after the corvette sank in the West Sea on March 26.

The military also speculates that a torpedo attack was a much more likely cause of the explosion than a mine.

"In an initial examination of the Cheonan's stern, South Korean and U.S. investigators found no traces showing that the hull had been hit directly by a torpedo," a senior source at the Defense Ministry said. "Instead, they found traces proving that a powerful explosion caused possibly by a torpedo had occurred underwater. The explosion created a bubble jet that eventually generated an enormous shock wave and caused the ship to break in two."
The severed stern of the sunken Navy corvette Cheonan is hoisted onto a barge on Thursday. The severed stern of the sunken Navy corvette Cheonan is hoisted onto a barge on Thursday.

If a torpedo hits directly, it normally blasts a big hole in the ship.

The investigators are carefully examining the stern, believing that the underwater explosion occurred not below midship but below the center-left.

The metal plate on the stern's floor was bent upward and the stern was torn obliquely, about 6 m further on the portside from the aft of the ship than on the starboard. The portside deck was pushed up in an inverted-V shape, showing that a powerful explosion occurred below and sent a shockwave upward.

The civilian-military investigation team consists of 26 military officers, 10 civilians, and two American experts.
[email protected] / Apr. 16, 2010 11:50 KST

[CountDeMoney]

[Hans]I rely on Blogs mostly[/Hans]

[cdm]I rely on Hans' blog mostly[/cdm]

[jimmy olsen]

If true, wow.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/04/137_64413.html

No less disappointing than the sinking of the ship was the way military leaders dealt with it, especially in the early stages. People were aghast at the news that it took no less than 49 minutes for the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to receive a report about the incident, and 52 minutes for the defense minister. The reason was even more shocking: Pressed on the delay, a JCS officer said he forgot to do so ``for a moment.''

[alfred russel]

He was probably waiting to finish his starcraft game.

[grumbler]

If true, wow.

http://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/opinon/2010/04/137_64413.html

No less disappointing than the sinking of the ship was the way military leaders dealt with it, especially in the early stages. People were aghast at the news that it took no less than 49 minutes for the Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman to receive a report about the incident, and 52 minutes for the defense minister. The reason was even more shocking: Pressed on the delay, a JCS officer said he forgot to do so ``for a moment.''

Shocking!

[Cecil]

He was probably waiting to finish his starcraft game.

[jimmy olsen]

He was probably waiting to finish his starcraft game.

Maybe he was investigating the recent scandal where pro-gamers were rigging matches.

[Neil]

He was probably waiting to finish his starcraft game.

Maybe he was investigating the recent scandal where pro-gamers were rigging matches.

Why would anyone investigate that?

[jimmy olsen]

He was probably waiting to finish his starcraft game.

Maybe he was investigating the recent scandal where pro-gamers were rigging matches.

Why would anyone investigate that?

Presumably because there's prize money involved, plus the matches get shown on tv.

[Razgovory]

Did you move to this country so you find a place were you would be considered cool?

[Jaron]

This is very alarming news.