Archived material Access restricted Article
Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Thu 09/02/2010 View Wed 09/01/2010 View Tue 08/31/2010 View Mon 08/30/2010 View Sun 08/29/2010 View Sat 08/28/2010 View Fri 08/27/2010
1
2010-09-02 China-Japan-Koreas
China 'Has More Warships than U.S.'
Archived material is restricted to Rantburg regulars and members. If you need access email fred.pruitt=at=gmail.com with your nick to be added to the members list. There is no charge to join Rantburg as a member.
Posted by Water Modem 2010-09-02 09:44|| || Front Page|| [11 views ]  Top

#1 Amount of warships is not really a good measure. More important is tonnage, and most important is how many of them can get underway, stay at sea for over a week, and effectively shoot their weapons.
Posted by Penguin 2010-09-02 10:22||   2010-09-02 10:22|| Front Page Top

#2 China 'Has More targets than U.S.'

Fixed that headline for you.
Posted by Mizzou Mafia 2010-09-02 10:26||   2010-09-02 10:26|| Front Page Top

#3 the big worry is aircraft carriers

we should be afraid when they get too many aircraft carriers. because then they can launch bombing raids.
Posted by anon1 2010-09-02 10:48||   2010-09-02 10:48|| Front Page Top

#4 and bye the way, they are testing their new fleet all over the Indian Ocean, in the Gulf of Aden patrolling for piracy. They are mean, new looking beasts as well. I wouldn't want to come up against them.

But still, I am more worried about their silent subs and the possibility they may have aircraft carriers.

They are aggressive and expansionist, they have a wounded sense of entitlement, they think the West is holding them back.... like Germany...circa 1938.

They want the "String of Pearls" a series of army bases through the pacific/indian ocean to guard the trade route through to Europe. Down Under, we are the ones to be scared.

They have lain in wait among us, seeded us with spies... we couldn't rid ourselves of Chinese agents even if we wanted to. They like that we are the listening post for the US in the Pacific and they have white-anted us.

They have probed our northern borders, mapped our shores. War is coming eventually I can smell it.
Posted by anon1 2010-09-02 10:52||   2010-09-02 10:52|| Front Page Top

#5 Oops that should read "navy bases" they want a string of pearls of navy bases... and they are getting them. Guarding the sea lanes of transit China to Europe
Posted by anon1 2010-09-02 10:53||   2010-09-02 10:53|| Front Page Top

#6 China 'Has More Warships than U.S.'

So does Toys R Us, but I bet China's are better.

Still, compared with the USN . . .
Posted by Halliburton - Mysterious Conspiracy Division 2010-09-02 11:27||   2010-09-02 11:27|| Front Page Top

#7 Are they counting "Zodiac Patrol Craft" the way Iraq did?

I'm still wondering just what the hell the A-6 in a news report back in the first Gulf War dropped on one of those "Zodiac Patrol Craft" to destroy it. A-6's don't have guns so it had to drop some kind of bomb.
Posted by Silentbrick 2010-09-02 12:08||   2010-09-02 12:08|| Front Page Top

#8 "A-6's don't have guns so it had to drop some kind of bomb."

While with VA-155 we dropped all sorts of ordnance; my guess is that it was a Rockeye. Cannister opens up and a veritable overcast of 'bomblets' are dispensed. Firing mechanism can discriminate between hard (tanks,trucks) and soft (zodiacs, people) targets. Much fun to watch, not so much to receive.
Posted by USN, Ret. 2010-09-02 14:56||   2010-09-02 14:56|| Front Page Top

#9 Breakdown of forces:

USN:
433,500 personnel
289 ships
3,700+ aircraft
Breakdown of ships:
11 Aircraft carriers
10 Amphibious assault ships
9 Amphibious transport docks
12 Dock landing ships
22 Cruisers
55 Destroyers
30 Frigates
71 Submarines

China:
* Strength: 255,000

Surface Force

* Destroyer: 26
* Frigate: 49
* Large landing Ship: 27
* Medium landing Ship: 31
* Fast attack craft: 200+

Submarine Force

* SSBN: 3
* SSN: 5~7
* SSK: 56

Naval Aviation

* Manpower: 26,000
* Aircraft: 400~500


I'd say they're counting fast attack vessels
Wiki has a further breakdown of their vessels:


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People%27s_Liberation_Army_Navy

Short answer is they're counting nearly 960 gunboats, missile boats, landing craft, and mine warfare vessels, which are basically for the most part considered a "green water" fleet element.
Posted by Valentine 2010-09-02 19:27||   2010-09-02 19:27|| Front Page Top

#10 thanks valentine, very informative
Posted by anon1 2010-09-02 20:42||   2010-09-02 20:42|| Front Page Top

#11 The other thing that China does not have, that the USN does, is lots of experience with a blue water navy. We have been doing unreps - underway replenishments - for many years. We have it down to a science. With enough support ships, our warships can stay at sea until the crews break down.

As for carriers, a carrier by itself is useless. You need a surrounding battle group to protect it. You need lots of experience with launching and recovering aircraft in all kinds of conditions. You need to know how to do the command and control for all the ships in the battle group. Again, the US has that experience, and China doesn't.
Posted by Rambler in Virginia  2010-09-02 22:07||   2010-09-02 22:07|| Front Page Top

#12 Interesting, Rambler.... but the Chinese are fast learners don't forget

and they are rich
Posted by anon1 2010-09-02 22:32||   2010-09-02 22:32|| Front Page Top

#13 the fast learners are the dead ones. The politically correct ones will be the second round of dead ones
Posted by Frank G 2010-09-02 22:56||   2010-09-02 22:56|| Front Page Top

23:56 rammer
23:34 OldSpook
23:25 Besoeker
23:01 Frank G
22:58 Mike Ramsey
22:58 Frank G
22:56 Frank G
22:56 Water Modem
22:32 anon1
22:28 Rhodesiafever
22:11 nuevo laredo group
22:07 Rambler in Virginia
21:40 Mullah Richard
21:37 Frank G
21:35 Spatch Speaking for Boskone8774
21:27 Hupusosing Bucket8370
21:13 swksvolFF
21:10 anon1
21:05 anon1
20:57 Entertaining Prose
20:42 anon1
20:29 Frank G
20:27 Procopius2k
20:26 trailing wife









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com