--- title: "U.S. Navy Releases Images Of Chinese Warship’s Dangerous Maneuvers Near Its Destroyer" description: "The series of pictures gives a good sense of just how close the two ships came to hitting each other." date: "2018-10-02" modified: "2018-10-02" authors: - name: "Joseph Trevithick" job_title: "Deputy Editor" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/joseph-trevithick" url: "https://www.twz.com/23986/u-s-navy-releases-images-of-chinese-warships-dangerous-maneuvers-near-its-destroyer" categories: - "Arleigh Burke Class" - "Around The Globe" - "China" - "Destroyers" - "Indo-Pacific" - "Navies" - "News & Features" - "People's Liberation Army Navy (China)" - "Sea" - "U.S. Navy" tags: - "China" - "destroyer" - "FONOPS" - "Freedom Of Navigation Operations" - "Gaven Reefs" - "Lanzhou" - "Luyang II-class" - "Plan" - "South China Sea" - "Spratly Islands" - "Type 052C" - "USN" - "USS Decatur" --- # U.S. Navy Releases Images Of Chinese Warship’s Dangerous Maneuvers Near Its Destroyer ![]() *www.twz.com* The U.S. Navy has released a series of images showing the *Arleigh Burke*-class destroyer USS *Decatur*'s [close encounter]() in the South China Sea with the Chinese People's Liberation Army Navy's Type 052C *Luyang II*-class destroyer *Lanzhou*. The images show just how dangerous the Chinese ship's maneuvering was and how close the two vessels were to [a potentially serious accident](). [gCaptain]() was first to obtain the images, which showed *Lanzhou* pulling close in front of *Decatur* and then the two ships maneuvering apart. The images are likely to be still captures taken from the video feed from the sensor turret on the American destroyer's [MH-60R Sea Hawk]() helicopter or [an Insitu drone]() launched from *Decatur*. In its official statement, the Navy said the Chinese ship, which it initially identified only as a "*Luyang*-class" vessel, came within 45 yards of the American destroyer, during the incident on Sept. 30, 2018. ![message-editor%2F1538509933127-1.jpg]() *The *Lanzhou*, at right, is seen here sailing within 45 yards of the USS *Decatur*, at left., *USN via gCaptain** This might sound like a plentiful amount of space between the two ships, but for vessels displacing thousands of tons and which are relatively slow maneuvering, it is too close for comfort. Just for perspective, 45 yards is less than one-third of a ship length for *Decatur*. In 2017, two of the Navy's *Arleigh Burke*-class destroyers suffered separate collisions in the Western Pacific region, [causing horrendous damage]() to the vessels and more importantly, the loss of multiple sailors' lives. ![message-editor%2F1538510019471-2.jpg]() *The two ships begin to separate., *USN via gCaptain** ![message-editor%2F1538510045364-3.jpg]() **Decatur* continues to maneuver away from *Lanzhou.*, *USN** After the Navy revealed the South China Sea incident had occurred, China's Foreign Ministry responded by saying that *Decatur* had been in violation of their "indisputable sovereignty" in the area around Gaven Reefs in the [disputed South China Sea](). "We strongly urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistake and stop such provocative actions to avoid undermining China-U.S. relations and regional peace and stability," the statement continued. The images show that the *Lanzhou* was the one responsible for the "proactive actions." The Navy says that it remained 12 miles away from the actual Chinese-occupied [man-made outpost]() on the Reef. *Decatur* had been in the area specifically to conduct a so-called Freedom of Navigation Operation patrol, [or FONOP](), which the United States performs in protest to China's broad claims of ownership of the vast majority of the South China Sea. The U.S. government, along with the majority of the international community, does not recognize China position, which is an increasingly contentious issue you can read about in more detail in [our initial analysis]() of the incident. It will also be interesting to see a more detailed account of this event as there is usually much more [to these types of encounters]() than what is initially reported and still images can only tell us so much. We will report back when we find out more. *Contact the author: jtrevithickpr@gmail.com* ## Author Joseph is *TWZ’s* Deputy Editor, helping to oversee the site’s highly experienced and dedicated team, while also writing informative and impactful defense and national security content. He lives right in the thick of it in the Washington, D.C. area. ### Author social links [Twitter]() [Bluesky]()