CHINA-SOUTH CHINA SEA: PLA NAVY'S ENCOUNTER WITH US NAVY PATROL
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The Beijing-based Sina Military Network reported on May 13, 2015, that USS Fort Worth, a US Navy Freedom-class littoral combat ship, had a run-in with the Yancheng, a PLA Navy Type 054A guided-missile frigate, during its patrol over the disputed Spratly islands on May 11, 2015. The US Navy ship was on a 7-day patrol from its base in Singapore. The PLAN vessel, Yancheng, began closely monitoring the US ship when it navigated into the Spratly waters near the fourth largest island in the chain. During the confrontation, USS Fort Worth radioed the Yancheng to remind the PLA ship that it was operating in international waters. The frigate ignored the message and continued to follow the USS Fort Worth until it left the waters.
The US ship was carrying a MQ-8B unmanned aerial vehicle and a MH-60 helicopter on board. The confrontation ended peacefully, and both parties stuck to the Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea adopted by the navies of nations in the Western Pacific including China and the United States last year.
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