Sinking.2C recovery and aftermath ROKS Cheonan

1 sinking, recovery , aftermath

1.1 sinking
1.2 rescue efforts
1.3 recovery
1.4 cause of sinking

sinking, recovery , aftermath
sinking

on 26 march 2010, explosion occurred near rear of cheonan, causing ship break in two. cause of explosion not determined.

the 1,200 tonne ship started sinking @ 21:20 local time (12:20 utc) 1 nautical mile (1.9 km) off south-west coast of baengnyeong island in yellow sea. island located on south korean (rok) side of northern limit line, de facto boundary dividing south north korea (dprk). ship had crew of 104 men @ time of sinking, , total of 58 crew rescued. 46 crew unaccounted for. cheonan s captain, commander choi won-il, said ship broke 2 , stern sank within 5 minutes after explosion , while still assessing situation. on 17 april 2010, north korea denied involvement in sinking of cheonan.

baengnyeong island (red)



sinseong, sister ship of cheonan


rescue efforts

initially 6 south korean navy , 2 south korean coast guard ships assisted in rescue aircraft south korean air force. reported on march 27 hopes of finding 46 missing crew alive fading. survival time in water estimated @ 2 hours , large waves hampering rescue attempts. ship sank in 45 meter deep waters small portion of overturned hull still visible above water. expected take 20 days salvage ship.

during course of search , rescue effort on 24 military vessels involved, including @ least 3 navy vessels, usns salvor, uss harpers ferry, , uss shiloh.

on 30 march 2010 reported 1 south korean naval diver had died after losing consciousness whilst searching survivors , had been hospitalised.

on 3 april 2010, south korean officials said private fishing boat involved in rescue operations had collided cambodian freighter, sinking fishing boat , killing @ least 2 people, 7 reported missing. same day, joint chiefs of staff of south korea said 1 body of 46 missing sailors had been found.

later on 3 april 2010 south korea called off rescue operation missing sailors, after families of sailors asked operation suspended fear of further casualties among rescue divers. military s focus shifted towards salvage operations, predicted take month complete.

recovery

on 15 april 2010, stern section of ship winched seabed large floating crane, drained of water , placed on barge transportation pyongtaek navy base. same crane raised bow portion of cheonan on 24 april 2010. salvaged parts of ship taken pyongtaek navy base investigation cause of sinking both south korean , foreign experts. unsalvaged parts left break apart.

cause of sinking

on 25 april 2010, south korea s defense minister, kim tae-young, said cause of explosion sank cheonan torpedo; statements first time south korean official publicly cited such cause. kim said bubble jet caused heavy torpedo thought thing blamed, various other possibilities under review. bubble jet caused underwater explosion changes pressure of water, , force can cause ship break apart. bubble jet theory supported 1 of investigators incident, had said there no evidence explosion had occurred in contact ship, , non-contact explosion had broken ship in half.

on 20 may 2010, south korean-led international commission investigating sinking of cheonan presented findings, stating ship sunk north korean torpedo attack. torpedo parts recovered @ site of explosion dredging ship on 15 may, include 5x5 bladed contra-rotating propellers, propulsion motor , steering section, claimed match schematics of cht-02d torpedo included in introductory brochures provided foreign countries north korea export purposes. markings in hangul, read 1번 (or no. 1 in english), found inside end of propulsion section said have been consistent markings on obtained north korean torpedo. however, (the hankyoreh) have pointed out without proper reason in north, 호 (pronounced ho ) used rather 번 ; , north korean torpedo found 7 years ago bears marking 4호 . russian , chinese torpedoes marked in respective languages. cht-02d torpedo manufactured north korea utilizes acoustic/wake homing , passive acoustic tracking methods. however, expert @ south korean missile manufacturer disagreed idea submarine alleged rok authorities have shot torpedo has capability: sango class submarines known used north korean commandos in infiltrating areas or laying mines, apparently not have advanced system guide homing weapons. if smaller class submarine involved, there bigger question mark.

one member of investigative team, shin sang-cheol, summoned on charges of spreading unsubstantiated rumors, publicly expressed doubts saying magnified photo of evidence showed marking written on rusted surface. if north marked it, marking should have been written on smooth surface. ministry of defense had earlier tried remove shin investigative team, saying not qualified work part of investigation team, has been spreading malicious rumors, lacks expertise , has been insincere in participation in probe.

on 13 september 2010, final report issued jig concluded that, cheonan split , sunk due shockwave , bubble effect generated underwater explosion of torpedo. detonation location 3 meters port center of gas turbine room , @ depth of 6-9 meters...

north korea denied responsible sinking. china dismissed official scenario presented south korea , united states not credible. investigation russian navy did not concur report. on 9 july 2010, united nations security council made presidential statement condemning attack without identifying attacker.