NEAR-COLLISION BETWEEN US, RUSSIAN WARSHIPS REQUIRE EMERGENCY MANEUVERS
The U.S. Navy accused a Russian ship of “unsafe and unprofessional” conduct after an incident Friday in the Philippine Sea caused a near-collision between a Russian destroyer and the American guided missile cruiser USS Chancellorsville.
The Russian Pacific Fleet countered that it was the U.S. vessel that had engaged in dangerous maneuvering, forcing the Russian destroyer Admiral Vinodgradov to take emergency action, Russia’s Interfax news agency reported.
A statement from Cmdr. Clay Doss of the U.S. Seventh Fleet said that the Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter while maintaining a steady course when the Russian ship came from behind and
“accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance of 50-100 feet.”
“This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision,” the statement said. “Russia’s actions during this interaction was unsafe and unprofessional.” The Russian statement, however, said the U.S. cruiser “suddenly changed directions and came within 50 meters [164 feet] of the Russian destroyer.”
Since January 2018, the Pentagon has been unfolding a long-term strategy that refocuses the U.S. military on competition with Russia and China, which both have been building up and modernizing their militaries and especially
challenging the United States’ once-unquestioned naval supremacy.
Over the years there have been a number of close encounters between U.S. and Russian forces, often in the form of Russian aircraft buzzing U.S. Navy ships.
THE WASHINGTON POST,
7 JUNE, 2019