ROK Warship Reported Sunk

[Colin Parkinson]

A South Korean military diver searching for survivors from a navy ship that sank off North Korea has died.

The diver lost consciousness as he searched wreckage of the Cheonan warship which sank after an explosion on Friday, the military said.

Rescuers have been working to get inside the ship, split in two by the blast. Forty-six sailors are missing.

The cause of the explosion is not yet clear, but a senior official has said it could have been a North Korean mine.

South Korean President Lee Myung-bak visited the scene of the wreck on Tuesday, flying in by helicopter to Baengnyeong island near the disputed inter-Korean border.

He also ordered the military onto alert, saying: "Since the sinking took place at the front line, the military should thoroughly prepare for any move by North Korea."

Dangerous waters

Fifty-eight crew members were rescued when the Cheonan went down late on Friday.

Officials say they believe that some of the 46 sailors still missing could have survived in water-tight cabins in the stern of the ship.

More than a dozen South Korean ships are involved in the rescue effort, plus a US vessel.

 
The diver who died was one of dozens brought in to try to gain access to the wreckage. The cause of death is not known.

Another diver was also been taken to hospital, military officials said.

A navy spokesman said the divers were working in "a very vicious environment" with swift currents and murky visibility.

"Our goal is to get into the ship and find any survivors but at the moment it is extremely hard to do so," the navy spokesman said.

On Monday, teams used a hose to inject oxygen into the stern via a crack, but divers who knocked on the hull received no response.

The cause of the blast that sank the ship remains unclear.

Defence Minister Kim Tae-young has said it could have been caused by a mine laid by the North during the 1950-53 Korean War.

He said it could also have been a mine that the communist state intentionally sent floating towards the South Korean vessel.

But an internal malfunction has not been ruled out and military officials said establishing the cause of the blast might have to wait until the ship is salvaged.

Pyongyang has made no official comment on the incident.

It does not accept the maritime border, known as the Northern Limit Line, which was drawn unilaterally by the US-led United Nations Command at the end of the Korean War.

The area has been the scene of deadly clashes between the navies of the two Koreas in the past.

 

[Retired AF Guy]

Is there anyone out there that could maybe explain how some of  these mines work? Can they be remotely controlled/detonated? I am sure there is more to it than the old Second World War type mines we have all seen on the TV. I have no knowledge on the subject and am curious to know.

Ask and you shall receive! From that fountain of knowledge - Wikipedia:

Naval Mines

An excerpt from the NORTH KOREA COUNTRY HANDBOOK MARINE CORPS INTELLIGENCE ACTIVITY (May 1997 edition):

" The DPRK has a credible mine warfare capability. There are numerous small surface ships that are capable of delivering mines within both the navy and civilian sectors. Mines will be used to defend against amphibious assaults, defend strategic ports, and provide seaward flank protection for land forces. Defensive mine fields will be monitored by coastal observation teams and radar, and they will be supported by well emplaced artillery and missile batteries. This will make close approach and mine clearing operations extremely hazardous. DPRK has a large inventory of older technology mines, significant historical experience with their effectiveness, and, most importantly, the willingness to use them." (My emphasis]

The complete document can be found here: http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1997/nkor.pdf

Lot of speculation in today's media about what caused the explosion including NK suicide naval teams: 

N.Korea 'Runs Naval Suicide Squads'

The possibility of a N. Korean mine may have drifted into S. Korean waters (whether deliberately or accidently is unknown) including mines from the Korean War era minesis also being considered. Apparently about 3,000 Soviet mines were deployed during the '50-53 war. However, that any of them would still afloat after these many yearsseems a little far fetched if you ask me.

South Korea Alerts Military Over Sunken Naval Vessel

 

[aesop081]

A stern shot from a sub at night is feasible but I wouldnt think its the optimum engagement for a sub.

Doesnt have to be optimum to score a kill.

ideal for a sub engagement.

"Ideal is the enemy of good enough"

Diesel-electric submarines are usualy designed and built for shallow water / coastal operations. Add in wire-guided weapons and wake-homing technology........or even submarine-layed mines......

 

[blacktriangle]

CDN Aviator,

Doesn't the North operates copies of the Romeo class SSK that can lay mines? Are those things pretty quiet as far as SSKs go? I couldn't see the North maintaining them that well, so I thought the power plant noises might be easier to pick up on...would that even matter if the SK ships were not looking for a sub/expecting an attack?

 

[aesop081]

CDN Aviator,

Doesn't the North operates copies of the Romeo class SSK that can lay mines? Are those things pretty quiet as far as SSKs go? I couldn't see the North maintaining them that well, so I thought the power plant noises might be easier to pick up on...would that even matter if the SK ships were not looking for a sub/expecting an attack?

Forgive me but on those points i will let you draw your own conclusions, for obvious reasons.

 

[Colin Parkinson]

To give an example on the longevity of mines

The international mine-clearance operation Open Spirit turned up 90 explosive devices in the Baltic Sea, 60 of which have been deactivated, reports news agency LETA LETA Law Enforcement Thermographers Association
LETA Lancaster Employment and Training Agency (Pennsylvania)
LETA Laboratoire Esthetique Theorique et Applique . The most mines--52--were found in the vicinity of Naissaare Island. The rarest finds were a naval mine of Russian origin, 132 years old, and a German mine with a wooden shell from the Second World War. "The most important aspect of the operation is that we can be certain of the safety of the surveyed shipping routes and anchoring areas," said the chief of the operation and of the Estonian Navy Igor Schvede. The mine-clearance vessels and divers surveyed 67 square miles, or 120 square kilometers. The Baltic sea, particularly the Gulf of Finland in northern Europe is considered one of the most mine-riddled maritime areas in the world. During the world wars, more than 150,000 naval mines are estimated to have been thrown into the Baltic, 80,000 into the Gulf of Finland.

 

[daftandbarmy]

Is there anyone out there that could maybe explain how some of  these mines work? Can they be remotely controlled/detonated? I am sure there is more to it than the old Second World War type mines we have all seen on the TV. I have no knowledge on the subject and am curious to know.

Mines don't have to be boring anymore, like those big, static, knobbly things placed in big bunches dangling at the end of large chains. You know, like those big minefields that Richard Baseheart used to get the 'Seaview' stuck in from time to time:


Torpedo mine
The torpedo mine is a self-propelled variety, able to lie in wait for a target and then pursue it e.g. the CAPTOR mine. Other designs such as the Mk 67 Submarine Launched Mobile Mine[28] (which is based on a Mark 37 torpedo) are capable of swimming as far as 10 miles through or into a channel, harbor, shallow water area and other zones which would normally be inaccessible to craft laying the device. After reaching the target area they sink to the sea bed and act like conventionally laid influence mines. Generally, torpedo mines incorporate computerised acoustic and magnetic fuzes.

The U.S. Mark 24 "mine", code-named FIDO, was actually an ASW homing torpedo. The mine designation was disinformation to conceal its function.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naval_mine

 

[CougarKing]

Update: South Korea starts to salvage/refloat the sunken warship.

Associated Press link

SEOUL, South Korea – South Korea began lifting its sunken warship Thursday in waters near the tense border with North Korea, about three weeks after the ship went down following a mysterious explosion on board. Dozens of sailors missing since the sinking are believed trapped inside.
Efforts to locate the 44 missing crew and salvage the wreckage of the 1,200-ton Cheonan has been impeded by high winds, a swift current and other bad weather conditions.

On Thursday, a huge naval recovery-crane started hoisting the stern, where most of the missing sailors are believed trapped, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul.

(...)

 

[midget-boyd91]

For the benefit of those civvie/non naval types on here (Me).. What is involved in salvaging a naval ship that has been sunk. I know it means recovering it.... but how and what can it show in terms of the cause of the ships demise?

Oddball

 

[tomahawk6]

I would expect the hull would show evidence of an external explosion either by a mine or torpedo or if it was internal. If its the latter then the North Koreans are off the hook. If there is evidence of an external explosion then the ROK will be looking for payback.

 

[GAP]

Dead sailors recovered as S. Korea hoists sunken warship
Article Link
Hyung-Jin Kim The Associated Press

SEOUL-South Korea lifted part of a warship from the sea Thursday, nearly three weeks after it mysteriously exploded and sank with dozens of sailors trapped inside. Salvage workers found dead bodies of 32 crew members in the retrieved vessel.

Fifty-eight crew members were rescued shortly after the 1,200-tonne Cheonan split into two pieces after exploding March 26 during a routine patrol near the tense border with North Korea. So far, 34 bodies have been recovered, while 12 sailors remain unaccounted for.

Recovering the wrecked ship could help determine the cause of the blast. There has been some suspicion but no confirmation of North Korean involvement in the sinking. The disputed western sea border has in the past been the scene of three bloody inter-Korean naval battles.

On Thursday, a huge naval crane hoisted the stern portion of the ship — where most of the missing sailors are believed trapped — a day after divers succeeded in tying the wreckage with chains.

Rescuers and salvage workers later boarded the stern and found 32 bodies identified as Cheonan crew, according to the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Seoul. Divers had previously retrieved two bodies during an underwater hunt.
More on link

 

[CougarKing]

A photo of the salvaged South Korean corvette Cheonan, courtesy of the Associated Press:

(The picture shows just the aft/stern half of the ship.)

 

[CougarKing]

Now South Korean investigators say an external explosion likely sank the ship.

Associated Press link

SEOUL, South Korea – An external explosion most likely sank a South Korean navy ship that split apart three weeks ago, an investigator said Friday, amid concerns about possible North Korea involvement in the disaster.

The 1,200-ton Cheonan split into two pieces after exploding March 26 during a routine patrol near the tense maritime border with North Korea. Fifty-eight crew members were rescued, but 46 were missing for weeks.

There has been some suspicion but no confirmation of North Korean involvement in the sinking. The disputed western sea border has in the past been the scene of three bloody inter-Korean naval battles. South Korean officials have said they will look into all possibilities, including that the ship might have been struck by a North Korean torpedo or a mine left over from the 1950-53 Korean War.

North Korean officials have reportedly denied their country's involvement in the blast.

(...)

 

 

[tomahawk6]

The ROK's have decided a NORK sub did the dead. Payback is necessary or this will happen again. If we hear about a NORK sub going missing then we will know. ;D

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/nkoreaskoreamilitarynaval

SEOUL (AFP) – South Korea's military believes that a North Korean submarine launched a torpedo attack to sink a South Korean warship last month near their disputed sea border, the Yonhap news agency said on Thursday.

The assessment was reported to the office of President Lee Myung-Bak and the defence ministry immediately after the ship sank last month, an unnamed senior military source told Yonhap.

"It's our military intelligence's assessment that North Korean submarines attacked the ship with a heavy torpedo," the source said, adding that the subs were armed with torpedoes with 200-kilogram (440-pound) warheads.

"Since February last year, North Korea has strengthened training that showed the possibility of it launching a guerilla warfare-style provocation, rather than a skirmish."

The South's military intelligence command had also alerted the navy ahead of the March 26 sinking of the Cheonan that North Korea was preparing an attack, Yonhap said.

The South's defence ministry refused to comment on the report.

Seoul has so far refrained from directly accusing Pyongyang and said only that an "external explosion" was the most likely cause of the disaster which cost the lives of 46 sailors.

Pyongyang has denied it was responsible.

South Korean Defence Minister Kim Tae-Young has already raised the possibility that a mine or torpedo may have sunk the ship, following deadly naval clashes in 1999 and 2002 and a November firefight.

The November incident left a North Korean patrol boat in flames and local media reports said one North Korean sailor was killed and three wounded.

The North has vowed "merciless" military action to protect what it sees as its Yellow Sea border.

South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper meanwhile quoted defectors as saying that North Korea had formed suicide attack squads known as "human torpedoes" in its navy.

It said the North's navy operates a brigade of suicide attack squads, which have many mini-submarines capable of carrying torpedoes or floating mines.

 

[karl28]

tomahawk6


        Thank you for the update was wondering what had happened because you really haven't heard anything  till now . What do you think will happen in response to this ? 

 

[tomahawk6]

I think the ROK will retaliate at some point. Taking out a North Korean sub would be perfect. Doing something on land would be too dangerous which is why the North attacked a naval vessel and I am sure they thought they would be in the clear.

 

[GAP]

Maybe it really wasn't N.K., although I highly doubt that, but it could also have been Chinese....they transit through there to go north....

 

[Old Sweat]

The Chinese did not have any reason to sink the ship.

 

[tomahawk6]

Another update.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/southkorea/7619087/South-Korean-ship-sunk-by-crack-squad-of-human-torpedoes.html

The attack on the 1,220-ton Cheonan, which sank on March 26 with the loss of 46 of its 104 crew, was carried out in retaliation for a skirmish between warships of the two nations' navies in November of last year, South Korea claims.

The South Korean government has refused to comment officially on the reports but Defence Minister Kim Tae Young told a parliamentary session that the military believed that the sinking was a deliberate act by North Korea.

Officials in military intelligence say they warned the government earlier this year that North Korea was preparing a suicide-squad submarine attack on a South Korean ship.

"Military intelligence made the report to the Blue House [the presidential office] and to the Defence Ministry immediately after the sinking of the Cheonan that it was clearly the work of North Korea's military," a military source said.

"North Korean submarines are all armed with heavy torpedoes with 200kg warheads," the source said.

Experts who examined the ship, which sank in the Yellow Sea, say that the blast happened outside the vessel's hull, ruling out the possibility of an accident.

North Korean officials who have defected to South Korea but still have contact with North Korean military sources say they have been told that the attack was carried out on the orders of Mr Kim and involved a unit of 13 specially trained commandos and modified midget submarines.

The submarines were manoeuvred close to their target before being detonated, probably along with their crews. Alternatively, the attackers may have used timed charges.

If North Korea was behind the attack, it would be the bloodiest single incident since an uneasy truce brought the Korean War to an end in 1953.

It also leaves Lee Myung Bak, the South Korean president, with a decision to make on retaliation or ignoring the provocation according to analysts.

"This puts Lee in a very difficult situation, but I do not think that an Israeli-style, targeted response is likely," said Aidan Foster-Carter, an expert on Korean affairs at Leeds University. "That is because the United States won't have it and there is the danger that any retaliation will descend into a horrible war."

Describing the attack as "calibrated and deniable," South Korea has little choice but to take its complaint to the United Nations, he said, although that is unlikely to have any impact on the North Korean regime and will not assuage public anger in the South.

The reports come a day after two North Korean agents posing as defectors were arrested for plotting to assassinate Hwang Jang-yop, the highest-ranking member of the North Korean Workers' Party to defect to the South.

Commenting on the sinking of the Cheonan, Mr Hwang said: "It's obvious that Kim Jong-il did it. We know that he has been preparing for this kind of incident."

The North has denied involvement in the sinking, saying the government in Seoul is using the incident to whip up support ahead of elections in June.

However, following the skirmish with South Korea in November, in which a North Korean ship was set on fire and three sailors killed, The National Defence Commission, North Korea's most powerful military body, threatened a "holy retaliatory war".

 

[Old Sweat]

The following story, which appeared in today's edition of the National Post as well as yesterday's online version, is reproduced under the fair comments provisions of the Copyright Act.

Human torpedoes’ sank South Korea’s ship: paper
Debate still rages over exact cause of incident

Peter Goodspeed, National Post 
Published: Thursday, April 22, 2010


A newspaper in South Korea has accused the North of using such a [suicide sub] device to sink a South Korean ship.
Suicide squads of North Korean "human torpedoes" operating a fleet of semi-submersible midget submarines may have been responsible for sinking the South Korean naval corvette Cheonan last month, according to a conservative Seoul newspaper.

However, the government-funded Yonhap news agency has issued a report saying South Korean military intelligence believes North Korean submarines hit the Cheonan with a heavy torpedo on March 26 in a deliberate and unprovoked attack.

Quoting an unnamed defence ministry source, the news agency said, "Military intelligence made the report to the Blue House [South Korea's presidential palace] and defence ministry immediately after the sinking of the Cheonan that it is clearly the work of North Korea's military.

"North Korean submarines are all armed with heavy torpedoes with 200 kilogram warheads. It is the military intelligence's assessment that the North attacked with a heavy torpedo."

Forty-six of the Cheonan's 104 crew are dead or missing after the attack cut the 1,200-tonne ship in two.

The stern section has been raised and divers are still trying to retrieve the bow as U.S. and South Korean investigators search for definitive clues to the cause of the sinking. South Korea has not directly blamed North Korea, but a preliminary investigation concluded the blast did not come from on board the vessel.

It's possible the Cheonan struck an untethered North or South Korean mine, but even as military divers recovered the body of a missing sailor yesterday, speculation is raging over the exact cause of the tragedy.

Evidence of a direct and deliberate attack by North Korea could plunge the Koreas into war.

As calls for some form of retaliation grow, the conservative newspaper Choson Ilbo has published reports the naval attack was carried out by a specially trained suicide squad of "human torpedoes" acting on direct orders from dictator Kim Jong-il.

South Korea's biggest-selling daily newspaper is urging the government not to rule out military action against North Korea.

It quoted defence department sources saying they believe North Korea attacked the Cheonan near a disputed sea border in retaliation for a naval skirmish in the same area in November. Several North Korean sailors were killed and a patrol boat was damaged in the confrontation.

Chosun Ilbo said military intelligence officials warned the South Korean government in February North Korea might be planning an attack with "suicide submarines."

The newspaper quoted former North Korean defectors saying contacts in Pyongyang told them the attack involved a unit of 13 specially trained commandos in semi-submersible midget submarines.

North Korea has only indirectly denied involvement in the sinking, issuing a statement that reads, "Failing to probe the cause of the sinking of the ship, the puppet military warmongers, right-wing conservative politicians and other traitors in South Korea are now foolishly seeking to link the sinking with the North at any cost."

Political activists belonging to the Family Assembly Abducted to North Korea (sic), a group made up of former North Korean defectors and people whose relatives were abducted by North Korea, released the transcript of a phone conversation between a military defector and "an unnamed senior North Korean army officer" in which the North Korean says Mr. Kim ordered the Cheonan's sinking.

"After the North lost the sea skirmish in November last year, Kim Jong-il gave an order to take revenge," the transcript says.

On Monday, Lee Myung-bak, the South Korean President, tearfully addressd the nation, reciting the names of the 46 dead and missing sailors. He also vowed to deal "resolutely and unwaveringly" with the findings of the investigation into the Cheonan's sinking.

So far, he has been deliberately cautious in assigning blame, since any military reaction could escalate into an all-out war.

"People have forgotten that North Korea, armed with long-range artillery, is located just 40 miles away from us," Mr. Lee told a meeting of business leaders in Seoul on Wednesday.

How the South Korean President deals with the crisis may also impact his party's fortunes in local elections across the country on June 2.

The United States and China have diplomatically avoided assigning blame for the sinking, with Washington offering to help in a prolonged and detailed investigation, while Beijing is urging Seoul to refrain from taking any "improper" steps.

The sinking came at a time of renewed tensions between North and South Korea.

There are reports Pyongyang may be preparing for a third series of nuclear tests and, this week, Seoul arrested two North Korean assassins who were allegedly ordered "to behead" Hwang Jang-yop, a former secretary of North Korea's Workers Party and the highest-ranking defector to South Korea.



Read more: http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=2940221#ixzz0lvahTiGr