The guided missile destroyer USS Lassen
ONBOARD THE USS THEODORE ROOSEVELT, South China Sea -- As
soon as the guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen breached 12-nautical-mile
territorial limits around one of China's man-made islands in the disputed South
China Sea last week, a Chinese warship shadowing its movements began demanding
answers.
"'Hey, you are in Chinese waters. What is your
intention?'," it asked, as recounted to reporters on Thursday by Commander
Robert Francis, commanding officer of the Lassen.
His crew replied that they were operating in accordance with
international law, and intended to transit past the island, carrying out what
US officials have called a freedom-of-navigation exercise designed to challenge
China
The response from the Chinese destroyer?
"The same query, over and over," said Francis,
speaking onboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt as it sailed 150
to 200 nautical miles from the southern tip of the Spratly archipelago, a chain
of contested islands where China's seven artificial outposts have taken shape
in barely two years.
The Lassen had joined the carrier strike group the night
before, ahead of a visit to the Theodore Roosevelt by US Secretary of Defense
Ash Carter, who while on board blamed China
In comments that underscore the frequency with which US warships now come across Chinese vessels in
Asian waters, Francis said the Lassen had had about 50 "interactions"
with Chinese military ships and aircraft since May while on patrol in the South
and East China Seas
"Every day a US ship is down here, we interact with the
Chinese," Francis said.
Experts say China has dozens of naval and coastguard vessels
deployed in the South China Sea at any given time, adding that encounters with
US warships are likely to increase after US officials said the navy planned to
conduct patrols within 12 nautical miles of China's artificial islands about
twice a quarter.
‘What hat are you guys doing this Saturday?’
The Chinese destroyer shadowed the Lassen for 10 days before
and after its October 27 patrol near the artificial islands, said Francis. The
Lassen got to within six to seven nautical miles from the nearest Chinese land
formation, he added.
But not all US-Chinese naval interactions are tense,
especially when things are slow on the high seas.
"A few weeks ago we were talking to one of the ships
that was accompanying us, a Chinese vessel ... (We) picked up the phone and
just talked to him like, 'Hey, what are you guys doing this Saturday? Oh, we
got pizza and wings. What are you guys eating? Oh, we're doing this. Hey, we're
planning for Halloween as well'."
The intent, Francis said, is "to show them ... that
we're normal sailors, just like them, have families, just like them."
The Chinese sailors, speaking in English, responded by
talking about where they were from, their families and places they have visited,
Francis said.
Eventually, the Chinese destroyer that had followed the
Lassen on its mission past the artificial islands peeled away.
"They were very cordial the entire time ... even before
and after the Spratly
Islands
"When they left us they said, 'Hey, we're not going to
be with you anymore. Wish you a pleasant voyage. Hope to see you again'."
As for Francis and his crew of 300 sailors, they were
unfazed by the intense media coverage of one of the most highly anticipated US
naval patrols in years, although Francis said his mother, having seen the news,
did call to ask whether he was actually in China.
"It's another day in the South
China Sea . All of it is professional," he said.
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/119819/hope-to-see-you-again--south-china-sea-face-offs-not-always-tense
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