US Navy
- The US Navy released shocking photos showing a Russian warship confronting a US Navy vessel in the Philippine Sea.
- A Russian destroyer sailed to within 100 feet of the cruiser USS Chancellorsville on Friday, risking a collision and putting the sailors on board in danger.
- The US warship was forced to slam on the brakes and change course to avoid a potential disaster at sea.
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A Russian destroyer challenged a US warship to an unusual showdown in the Pacific on Friday, forcing it to take sudden evasive action.
The destroyer, according to US 7th Fleet, engaged in "unsafe and unprofessional" behavior, sailing extremely close to the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Chancellorsville and risking a collision with the US vessel.
It came just a few days after a Russian fighter aggressively buzzed a US Navy aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea.
The "USS Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter on a steady course and speed when the Russian ship maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville, accelerated, and closed to an unsafe distance of approximately 50-100 feet," US 7th Fleet said in a statement.
"This unsafe action forced USS Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision."
Photos show just how close the Russian ship came to the US vessel.
The latest confrontation comes two days after the US Navy accused the Russians of conducting an "unsafe and unprofessional intercept" in the air.
The Navy said a Russian Sukhoi Su-35 fighter made a high-speed pass in front of the mission aircraft, a US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance plane.
Friday’s incident is also reminiscent of a situation involving a Chinese destroyer in the South China Sea last September.
Read more: The Chinese military challenged a US destroyer to a South China Sea showdown
The Chinese destroyer took on the US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer Decatur during a close approach near Gaven Reef in the disputed Spratly Islands.
The Chinese vessel "conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings" for the US Navy ship to "leave the area," Pacific Fleet said in an official statement. The Chinese warship is said to have sailed to within 45 yards of the American ship.
See Also:
- Russian jet put US airmen at risk with an ‘irresponsible’ intercept over the Mediterranean Sea, US Navy says
- The Missouri governor who resigned during a sex scandal just returned to the Navy — now the service is trying to figure out what to do with him
- Trump’s Navy secretary bet his job on getting a critical supercarrier weapon system to work. The Navy says it won’t be ready in time.
Source: Business Insider – rpickrell@businessinsider.com (Ryan Pickrell)