Article

2004-05-01 China-Japan-Koreas

Chinese battle fleet stages Hong Kong show of force

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Posted by Steve White 2004-05-01 3:36:13 AM|| || Front Page|| [1 views since 2007-05-07] Top

#1 Tell you what guys and gals. Many times I have sat quaffing a brew at an outdoor cafe here on the waterfront of Shekou, China. Occasionally, this fast attack gun boat would come in the harbor (upper Pearl River) just bristling with small rockets and guns galore. That wasn't the impressive part. It was the sound. That boat was raked like a speed boat and would slowly crank up all 4 engines and idle into the area. The most beautiful sound you ever heard and literally shook the tables. You could feel that big boy rumbling out there and watch the beer vibrate in your glass. I shit you not. Could they fight? Don't have a clue but they sure sound good. Chine

Posted by Chiner 2004-05-01 5:04:01 AM|| 2004-05-01 5:04:01 AM|| Front Page Top

#2 Yeah, but can they dance as good as the other Asian navies?

Posted by Mike 2004-05-01 7:00:19 AM|| 2004-05-01 7:00:19 AM|| Front Page Top

#3 "The commander of the battle group said the warships were on permanent standby to deal with a crisis across the Taiwan Strait."

Sloppy translating! Surely that ought to read:

"...the warships were on permanent standby to cause a crisis..."

Posted by Bulldog 2004-05-01 7:09:18 AM|| 2004-05-01 7:09:18 AM|| Front Page Top

#4 Chiner

That means that ennemy subamrines can lock their accoustic torpedoes on it from the other side of the Pacific.

Posted by JFM 2004-05-01 7:46:26 AM|| 2004-05-01 7:46:26 AM|| Front Page Top

#5 Chiner - Do the Chinese military use hydrofoils in the Pearl River area? I took a ferry (the wrong one, it turned out) up the Pearl River about 8 years ago and we were passed on several occasions by tubular silver civilian hydrofoils, darting up-and-down river at unsafe speeds. Surreal, especially during a tropical storm.

Posted by Bulldog 2004-05-01 8:05:40 AM|| 2004-05-01 8:05:40 AM|| Front Page Top

#6 And just how long would these last in the pressence of a "hostile" Los Angeles class sub

Posted by cheaderhead 2004-05-01 11:14:13 AM|| 2004-05-01 11:14:13 AM|| Front Page Top

#7 I'ma zenophobe and all that... but the very idea of the Chineese strike fleet make me smile.

Posted by Shipman 2004-05-01 5:08:26 PM|| 2004-05-01 5:08:26 PM|| Front Page Top

#8 apparently they don't read Clancy

Posted by Frank G 2004-05-01 6:00:24 PM|| 2004-05-01 6:00:24 PM|| Front Page Top

#9 Chiner: The most beautiful sound you ever heard and literally shook the tables. You could feel that big boy rumbling out there and watch the beer vibrate in your glass.

Small *and* noisy. I love it. The Navy swatted a lot of these types of ships aside during Persian Gulf skirmishes with the Iranian Navy.

I saw the Marine carrier (or amphibious assault ship) the Peleliu on the banks of the Hudson a couple of years ago. Pretty quiet ship for a 40,000 tonne ship, about 1/3 larger than the Essex-class carriers that dominated WWII (the Intrepid carrier that was turned into an aerospace museum is an Essex-class ship).

Posted by Zhang Fei 2004-05-01 7:13:30 PM|| 2004-05-01 7:13:30 PM|| Front Page Top

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