South Korean ship fires on a ship

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Raptor1

I thought it was in ROK territorial waters, are the DPRK allowed to randomly fire in there?

http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/2...nt_9474912.htm

It's along the border they use, they stick to their side but play it close to the line.

[Raptor1]

Ah, should've figured the North Korean government is capable of something so unnessecarily idiotic...

[Oberon]

"Don't be so sirry!"

[Castout]

Another picture of the ship, Cheonan




Ship hull is broken/split into two. The stern was the first to be gone beneath the waves.

If it was a mine what's the possibility of it striking the ship's stern?!

I would rule out an accident. It was either a conventional sea mine, a torpedo mine or a torpedo attack.
Somebody is playing a dangerous game . . .
I didn't imply it was definitely North Korea's doing though . . .but we can't help to think it's probably one of the prime suspects.

[TLAM Strike]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

I wonder if it could have been a mine? But, you are right SW, good thing this hasn't escalated.

Then again there could be a DPRK sub on the bottom right now, or it could be reloading and waiting for another shot...

Originally Posted by Castout

Another picture of the ship, Cheonan




Ship hull is broken/split into two. The stern was the first to be gone beneath the waves.

If it was a mine what's the possibility of it striking the ship's stern?!

I would rule out an accident. It was either a conventional sea mine, a torpedo mine or a torpedo attack.
Somebody is playing a dangerous game . . .
I didn't imply it was definitely North Korea's doing though . . .but we can't help to think it's probably one of the prime suspects.

It could hit the stern if it was an acoustic mine set off my the prop noise like the Russian UDM or PRC Mao-4 that the DPRK does have.

Or it could have snagged the mooring line dangling from a mine that got cut loose from its anchor. Line rapped around the screw and draged it right in to her stern.

Although this ROK FFL does have an aft 76mm it a round cooked off in that it could have wrecked the stern and sank her.

EDIT 'nother possablity the North does have some EM-52 rocket mines, they are acoustic triggered and very devistating...

[Jimbuna]

Oh wait...I can see an image appearing

[Happy Times]

The survivors have told the explosion was external and lifted the ship up and broke it in two.
Narrows down the options.
No one wants to but taking down NK would be the right thing to do, it could take 20 years to wait for its internal collapse.

[Castout]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

Oh wait...I can see an image appearing

Personally deleted by me

reason: might be felt insensitive to the sailors who fell victim in the incident.

[CaptainHaplo]

Could have been a magnetic mine, a moored mine that broke a cable - coulda been an accident (the Korean newspaper had a snippet about improper stowage of DC's claimed by previous sailors), coulda been any number of things.