A Russian destroyer nearly collided with a U.S. guided missile cruiser on Friday morning, and the U.S. Navy has released video footage of the dangerous incident.
The USS Chancellorsville, a Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser, was traveling in the Philippine Sea when it was approached by the Russian destroyer, which came within 50 to 100 feet of colliding with the U.S. ship.
The video below shows the close encounter:
An earlier video shows the approaching Russian ship.
The U.S. Navy released a statement on this incident this morning, saying:
At approximately 11:45 am on June 7, 2019 while operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian destroyer (Udaloy I DD 572) made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), closing to ~50-100 feet putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk.
While Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter on a steady course and speed when the Russian ship DD572 maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance of ~50-100 feet. This unsafe action forced Chancellorsville to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.
We consider Russia’s actions during this interaction as unsafe and unprofessional and not in accordance with the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS), “Rules of the Road,” and internationally recognized maritime customs.
The Navy also released an aerial photo showing the distance between the two ships.
At approximately 11:45 am on June 7, 2019 while operating in the Philippine Sea, a Russian Destroyer (UDALOY I DD 572) made an unsafe maneuver against USS Chancellorsville (CG-62), closing to ~50-100 feet putting the safety of her crew and ship at risk. (U.S. Navy/Released)
Russia’s Pacific Fleet told Russian news agency TASS that their crew “voiced a protest to the U.S. command after its guided-missile cruiser hindered the passage of the Admiral Vinogradov anti-submarine destroyer some 50 meters in front of it, forcing the vessel to perform a dangerous maneuver.”
However, the wake from the Russian ship in the above photo shows that it headed straight toward the U.S. ship and veered away when it closed in. Meanwhile, the USS Chancellorsville’s wake appears to indicate it was traveling on a straight path.
The USS Chancellorsville is part of Carrier Strike Group Five, home to Fleet Activities Yokosuka in Japan.
