Russian spy ship operating 'in unsafe manner' off Southeast coast, officials say

[True_Blue]

Source: Miami Herald

A Russian spy ship is “operating in an unsafe manner” off the Southeast coast between Florida and South Carolina, according to the United States Coast Guard.

A maritime safety information bulletin warns boaters that they should “use extreme caution when navigating in proximity” to RFN Viktor Leonov.

The bulletin came from the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville, which is responsible for ports that include Charleston, South Carolina, and Savannah, Georgia, an area that has a number of military installations along the coast.


Read more: https://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article238458288.html

[flibbitygiblets]

1. Headed to Mar-a-Lame-Go for Trump's annual employee performance review?

Maybe if they start shooting at us people will wake the eff up?

[C Moon]

2. What do they need spy ships for?: they have our WH filled with traitor spies.

[NurseJackie]

22. You beat me to it. GMTA.

[Layzeebeaver]

3. Clearly...

...it’s just part of their newly implemented two-factor authentication regarding the regular status reports from comrade trumpokov

Nothing to worry about.

[Cracklin Charlie]

4. Transatlantic cables?

Could be any old thing.

[Sapient Donkey]

11. Wouldn't they be more likely to use submarines for that?

Everyone knows they are there and are watching them. So even if they had some sneaky ways to get down without being visibly seen, they are still be watched very closely with all sorts of fancy sensors.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

12. Yes.

And two years ago, both the Royal Navy and the Norwegian Navy reported Russian submarines is "close" proximity to undersea cables in that area of the North Atlantic. It did not get a lot of press coverage in the US, but was a huge story in the UK and Scandinavia.

[Anon-C]

27. Deploying the latest in Russian cable-cutting tech?

[bluescribbler]

5. This is truly alarming.

I served in the US Navy during the Vietnam War. My rating was Radarman. As a Radarman, I had to learn the nautical "rules of the road". I learned the difference between a "privileged vessel", and a "burdened vessel". These are internationally recognized standards for operating when vessels are in close proximity to each other. The radarmen in the Combat Information Center, (CIC), were responsible for tracking any surface or air contacts which appeared on the radar screens, calculating the Closest Point of Approach, (CPA), determining which vessel was privileged and which was burdened, reporting all this to the bridge, along with a recommended action. At times, we had to communicate with the other vessel as to the course of action we would take, or expect them to take. I never encountered any issues with this, and we never collided with another vessel.
If the Russian ship is not observing these practices, they are putting innocent lives at risk.

[eggplant]

7. They're colluding with other vessels, not colliding. :D

[dewsgirl]

26. LoL

[Haggis for Breakfast]

13. As another Sailor, bluescribbler,

I think they should be boarded by the USCG, examined thoroughly, then escorted back into international waters.

[Jedi Guy]

15. They're in international waters already, so not much we can really do about it.

I'd be surprised if the USN doesn't have a submarine shadowing them, and/or have Orions doing orbits. Just to let Ivan know we care, of course.

[Haggis for Breakfast]

17. I'm sure that we are.

Plus the satellites.

Anytime they are within 200 miles of our coastline, I get nervous.

[Jedi Guy]

19. Eh, it's a spy ship, so its ability to cause havoc is at least somewhat limited.

That said, there's a pretty good chance they have an attack sub of their own lurking around, just in case. I recall reading not long ago that they had a sub of some variety operating in the Gulf of Mexico, so they definitely aren't shy about posting up in our neighborhood.

Fortunately their navy (and military in general) is nowhere near what it was during the Cold War.

[Farmer-Rick]

25. Even during the cold war, the Russian Navy was far worse off then we thought.

They even had trouble clothing, feeding and paying their sailors.

I'm sure shorty Putin doesn't share his stolen loot with their Navy. He would rather pay off traitors.

[Scarsdale]

6. Maybe rather than "spy ships"

they are dropping off the cash to the gop? Send us information, we send you cash?

[monmouth4]

8. I'm attending a huge "Impeach Trump" rally around 5:30 tonight, maybe they'll be coming ashore..n/t

[ffr]

9. Where's our wimpy rePutican pResident and his cowardly rePutican congress?

I thought Make America Great Again?

[Jedi Guy]

16. What would you have them do, exactly? The Russian ship is in international waters. N/T

[Progressive Jones]

21. Make those on that ship fear for their lives, that's what I'd have them do. nt

[Jedi Guy]

23. So you'd have them harass a ship in international waters.

And not just a little harassment, but to the point that they were afraid of being killed. You do realize that doing so invites China to do the same to us when we do freedom of navigation transits in the South China Sea, right? Or the Russians when we're in the Atlantic, Mediterranean, or Black Sea? Once you've done it, you can't complain when it's done to you.

That kind of brinkmanship can easily result in people getting hurt or killed. In the worst case scenario, it could start an actual conflict. I'm glad you're not calling the shots.

[MRDAWG]

10. Watching our subs leaving from St Mary's Ga Navy Base***

*

[Haggis for Breakfast]

14. Is St. Mary's anywhere near Kings Bay, GA ?

[discntnt_irny_srcsm]

20. About 2-3 miles South of King's Bay

Basically the same place. St Mary's is the nearby town.

[TheFourthMind]

18. They're just getting a closer look at their new place. n/t

[dewsgirl]

28. Ohh no. 😔

[MineralMan]

24. The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming!