Hey, dey stole our dinghy thingy!

[waltky]

Hey, dey stole our dinghy thingy!...

China 'seizes US vessel' in S China Sea
Fri, 16 Dec 2016 - The US demands that China returns a US underwater research vessel taken in the South China Sea, say US officials.

The Chinese navy seized the US underwater research vessel in the South China Sea on Thursday, the US alleges. The incident took place just as the USNS Bowditch, an oceanographic survey ship, was about to retrieve it. The device, dubbed an "ocean glider", was used to test water salinity and temperature, officials say. The data was part of an unclassified programme to map underwater channels, Pentagon spokesman Capt Jeff Davis told reporters. "It was taken" by China, Capt Davis said during a press briefing on Friday. "The UUV [unmanned underwater vehicle] was lawfully conducting a military survey in the waters of the South China Sea," he added. "It's a sovereign immune vessel, clearly marked in English not to be removed from the water - that it was US property."

Analysis - Carrie Gracie, BBC China Editor

The Chinese seizure of a US navy drone only serves to increase uncertainty and tension between the US and China, coming in the same week as a US think tank published satellite images of anti-aircraft missiles on China's artificial islands in the South China Seas and in the aftermath of remarks from US President-elect Donald Trump criticising China for building what he called a "massive fortress" in the region. Despite previous statements that China had no intention of militarising the islands, the Chinese Defence Ministry defended what it described as "necessary military facilities" which it called "proper and legitimate". Since Mr Trump questioned the so-called "One China" policy which Beijing describes as the 'political bedrock' of the US China relationship, China has also mounted fighter exercises over the Taiwan Strait.

USNS Bowditch​

The Obama administration has reaffirmed what it called its "unwavering commitment" to the "One China" policy but the seizure of a US navy drone may be Beijing's way of sending a message to the incoming administration that it too has ways of disrupting expectations and upsetting the status quo. The encounter occurred in the South China Sea about 50 miles (80km) northwest of Subic Bay, Philippines, the US says. "The Chinese navy ship ASR-510, a Dalang III-class ship, approached within 500 yards of the Bowditch, launched a small boat, and seized the UUV," the Pentagon said in a statement. The Bowditch made radio contact with the Chinese ship to demand its immediate return but were "ignored". "This is not the sort of conduct we expect from professional navies," Capt Davis added.

The seizure will likely add to US concerns about the growing military posture taken by China in the South China Sea. A US think tank reported this week that aerial imagery shows that China has installed weaponry along seven artificial islands they have built at sea, despite US protests. In November 2015, two US B-52 bomber planes flew over the man-made islands, known as the Spratly Islands. Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said the device was a "sovereign immune vessel of the United States" and demanded its immediate return from China.

China 'seizes US vessel' in S China Sea - BBC News

 

[B. Kidd]

Happened on Obie's watch, therefore his responsibility to deal with it. Maybe he'll set up a 'situation room' on the 18th green of his favorite Hawaiian golf course...........

 

[waltky]

A likely excuse...

China says it seized US Navy drone to ensure safety of ships
Dec 17,`16 -- China said Saturday its military seized a U.S. Navy unmanned underwater glider in the South China Sea to ensure the "safe navigation of passing ships," but would give back the drone after determining it was an American device.

The United States later confirmed it had "secured an understanding" for the return, seeming to settle one of the most serious incidents between the two militaries in years. The Chinese navy on Thursday seized the drone, which the Pentagon said was being operated by civilian contractors to conduct oceanic research. The U.S. lodged a formal diplomatic complaint and demand the drone back. Chinese Defense Ministry spokesman Yang Yujun issued a statement late Saturday saying that a Chinese navy lifeboat discovered an unknown device in the South China Sea on Thursday. "In order to prevent this device from posing a danger to the safe navigation of passing ships and personnel, the Chinese lifeboat adopted a professional and responsible attitude in investigating and verifying the device," Yang said.

The statement said that after verifying that the device was an American unmanned submerged device, "China decided to transfer it to the U.S. through appropriate means." The U.S. said that "through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return" the unmanned underwater vehicle, according to a statement from Peter Cook, spokesman for U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter. The U.S. said China's "unlawful seizure" came in international waters. Yet China pointedly accused the U.S. of long sending ships "in China's presence" to conduct "military surveying." "China is resolutely opposed to this and requests the U.S. stop such activities," it said. "China will continue to maintain vigilance against the relevant U.S. activities and will take necessary measures to deal with them."

Earlier Saturday, China's foreign ministry said the country's military was in contact with its American counterparts on "appropriately handling" the incident, though it offered no details on what discussions were underway. The drone was seized while collecting unclassified scientific data about 92 kilometers (57 miles) northwest of Subic Bay near the Philippines in the South China Sea, which China claims virtually in its entirety, Navy Capt. Jeff Davis, a Pentagon spokesman, said Friday. "It is ours. It's clearly marked as ours. We would like it back, and we would like this not to happen again," Davis told reporters. He said the drone costs about $150,000 and is largely commercial, off-the-shelf technology.

The USNS Bowditch, which is not a combat ship, was stopped in international waters Thursday afternoon and recovering two of the gliders when the Chinese ship approached, Davis said. The two vessels were within about 450 meters (500 yards) of each other. He said that the USNS Bowditch carries some small arms, but that no shots were fired. According to the Pentagon, as the Chinese ship left with the drone, which is about 3 meters (10 feet) long, its only radio response to the U.S. vessel was, "We are returning to normal operations." President-elect Donald Trump blasted the seizure. Apparently misspelling "unprecedented," he tweeted Saturday: "China steals United States Navy research drone in international waters - rips it out of water and takes it to China in unpresidented act." He later reissued the tweet, correcting the spelling to "unprecedented."

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China to return seized US underwater drone, Pentagon says
Sun, 18 Dec 2016 - The US says it has "secured an understanding" that China will return an underwater drone it has seized.

China captured the US vessel in international waters on Thursday. It has not explained why and accused the US of "hyping-up" the incident. US President-elect Donald Trump accused the Chinese of "stealing". "We should tell China that we don't want the drone they stole back - let them keep it!" he tweeted. The incident is among the most serious military confrontations between the two powers for decades. The Pentagon said the drone, known as an unmanned underwater vehicle (UUV), was being used to carry out scientific research at the time it was captured and demanded its immediate return. It warned China not to repeat such a move in the future.

But a spokesman said later on Saturday that an agreement had been reached. "Through direct engagement with Chinese authorities, we have secured an understanding that the Chinese will return the UUV to the United States," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook said in a statement. The Chinese defence ministry said the vessel would be returned in an "appropriate manner". It is not clear when this might happen. It criticised the earlier US response, calling it "inappropriate and unhelpful". Mr Trump had already inflamed the Chinese by speaking on the phone earlier this month with the leader of Taiwan, breaking a long-standing US practice on the China-Taiwan dispute. For the earlier tweet, accusing the Chinese of stealing, he drew criticism online for misspelling the word unprecedented - the latest in a series of errors in his Twitter posts. He has now corrected the entry.

A undated Navy file photo shows crew members aboard the VOS Raasay recover US and British Royal Navy ocean gliders taking part in the Unmanned Warrior exercise off the northwest coast of Scotland​

A Chinese Navy ship seized the unmanned drone 92km (57 miles) north-west of Subic Bay near the Philippines in the South China Sea on Thursday. The craft was retrieved and examined to maintain the safety of passing vessels, China's defence ministry said in a statement. The US said the unmanned drone was being operated by civilian contractors and was about to be retrieved by USNS Bowditch, an oceanographic research ship. It made a formal diplomatic complaint to China over the incident. Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations committee, called the seizure "a remarkably brazen violation of international law", while Senior Republican Senator John McCain said the US should not tolerate "such outrageous conduct".

Observers said the seizure was the most significant military incident between the two countries since a 2001 mid-air collision between a US Navy surveillance aircraft and a Chinese fighter jet that led to the death of a Chinese pilot. It will likely add to US concerns about the growing military build-up by China in the South China Sea. China has claimed territorial rights over parts of the region but its claims are disputed. It is not clear if China claims the territory in which the drone was seized. A US think tank reported this week that aerial imagery shows that China has installed weaponry along seven artificial islands they have built at sea, despite US protests.

China to return seized US underwater drone, Pentagon says - BBC News

 

[anotherlife]

And we think it is the aliens who send around underwater USO and air UFO gliders and such. How did Obama get hold of it?

 

[whitehall]

Does anybody really think the "underwater drone" in question was just a benign "scientific tool"?

 

[anotherlife]

Does anybody really think the "underwater drone" in question was just a benign "scientific tool"?

No. Like I said above, it is an alien craft.

 

[B. Kidd]

Does anybody really think the "underwater drone" in question was just a benign "scientific tool"?

You'd have to be a bald-headed chimp to believe 'dat.