The US and Australia are substantially expanding the well situated Lombrum Naval Base that sits on Manus island (Papua New Guinea) in the Southwest Pacific. The US and Australia in December 2018 noticed suspicious activity of two Chinese oceanographic ships north of the Lombrum Base. Those ships include:
- China's new research vessel Ke Xue (aka Kexue) a Type 625C research vessel, and
- patrol vessel Hai Ce (aka Haice) 3301. US Naval War College (page 3) gives details of "Haice"
and "Kexue" also see
The Chinese ships performed manoeuvres interpreted as surveying potential submarine channels between Lombrum Base and the US submarine base at Guam. (Map courtesy Australia's ABC News via gfycat)
The Australia government owned ABC News on April 21, 2019 charted the Chinese ship movements and reported an expert view that:- China's new research vessel Ke Xue (aka Kexue) a Type 625C research vessel, and
- patrol vessel Hai Ce (aka Haice) 3301. US Naval War College (page 3) gives details of "Haice"
and "Kexue" also see
The Chinese ships performed manoeuvres interpreted as surveying potential submarine channels between Lombrum Base and the US submarine base at Guam. (Map courtesy Australia's ABC News via gfycat)
---
"[The ships are likely] Establishing the baseline
data around what the seabed is made out of, what the seabed terrain is like,
the salinity and what thermal layers exist in the water is useful for [mineral] mining
but it also helps determine the acoustic conditions for submarine operations.""
ABC News further reported:
"...Ke Xue
and Hai Ce 3301, are part of a two-dozen strong Chinese "Distant-Ocean
Research fleet" that has conducted expansive maritime surveys around the
Philippines, Palau, Guam and Japan over the past two years"
COMMENT
Australia's conventional submarines might in future be able to utilise Lombrum/Manus as a forward base for diesel refueling. It would also put these subs in a good position to patrol north to Guam Naval Base. For a very long Australian submarine mission further refueling at Guam might permit patrols all the way to the East China Sea and back.
In terms of blameless oceanography USNS Impeccable performed a similar exercise south of China's Yulin nuclear submarine base on Hainan island, China, in 2009. Unlike US and Australian (December 2018) courtesy towards Chinese ships near Lombrum/Manus the Chinese reception near Hainan (2009) was decidedly hostile.
Pete
of course Chinese reception was hostile :) (I assume if Chinese ships did the same 200 km off the west coast of the US, US reception would likely turn decidedly hostile too lol )
ReplyDeleteI assume more such patrols are likely along with 'activate at will' on seafloor armed UUVs.
Australia if anything, needs SSNs and a much more robust ASW capability asap.
the one thing I do notice about the irrepressibly ascendant Chinese Navy and in fact government is the almost 'evangelical zealot like belief' in their 'status' as the 'next chosen one' entitled to all sorts of automatic deference and exclusivist Monroe doctrines in the Southern and Eastern Pacific...
China has no problems attributing malicious intentions to any one having a thing or two to say about their discomfort with China's plans while even logical data backed claims about China's less than honourable intentions elicits virulent responses bordering on abuse.