Welcome to the CavasShips Podcast with Christopher P. Cavas and Chris Servello…a weekly podcast looking at naval and maritime events and issues of the day – in the US, across the seas and around the world. This week…the launch of China’s new aircraft carrier FUJIAN on June 22 gave the world its first clear look at what China hopes will be a game-changer for its burgeoning navy. But what are we really looking at? What is the significance of this new ship and what China wants to do with it? Noted naval strategists Jerry Hendrix and Patrick Cronin join us to bore in on China’s strategies and how the US should be responding.
Please send us feedback by DM’ing @CavasShips or @CSSProvision or you can email chriscavas@gmail.com or cservello@defaeroreport.com.
This Week’s Naval Round Up:
A three-ship Russian naval group completed a two-week circumnavigation of the Japanese home islands on July 7, a week after a similar Chinese naval surface group did the same maneuver. Independently, the Chinese intelligence ship TIAN LANG XING also completed a circuit of Japan on July 7. In another incident on July 4, a Chinese frigate appeared to chase a Russian frigate just outside Japanese territorial waters in the Senkaku Islands – apparently a ruse by China to make it appear as if it was defending territory it does not in fact have. Along with nearly daily Chinese and Russian air incursions – all closely monitored by Japan’s self-defense forces, the provocations have resulted in a major increase in Japanese defense spending, which are expected to grow even further.
The British frigate HMS MONTROSE intercepted and seized speed boats that were smuggling Iranian missile components, likely headed to the Houthi in Yemen. The seizures, announced by the Ministry of Defence on July 7, took place January 28 and February 25 in what were described as “in international waters south of Iran” – a phrase seemingly meaning in the Gulf of Oman or Gulf of Aden. After analysis in the UK, the weapons included Iranian-made Type 358 surface-to-air-missiles and engines for Type 351 land attack cruise missiles of the type that struck Abu Dhabi on January 17. This is the first such seizure by a British warship.
The US Navy announced July 1 that the deployed ballistic missile submarine RHODE ISLAND arrived for port visit at Her Majesty’s Naval Base Clyde in Fas-lane, Scotland. While for generations, the Silent Service has been, well, silent about the operations of deployed submarines, particularly those carrying intercontinental ballistic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads, these and similar recent announcements are clearly politically-motivated messages intended to remind adversaries of American capabilities.
In new ship news, Taiwan’s first domestically-designed and built amphibious ship YUSHAN completed its initial round of sea trials July 6. Although the design is based on that of the US Navy’s San Antonio class, Taiwan’s version at just over 10,000 tons is less than half the size of the American ships. Taiwan has operated ex-US Navy amphibious ships for many years, but this is the nation’s first domestic design.
In old ship news, the French Navy decommissioned the frigate LATOUCHE-TREVILLE on July 1 after a 32-year career. The ship was the last of seven George Laig Type F70 antisubmarine frigates that were NATO mainstays for many years. The ships now have all been replaced by new FREMM frigates.
