Stephen Makk
The Spratly Incident
THE SOUTH CHINA SEA DISPUTE
The scenario in this book is not entirely fictional.
The People’s Republic of China is turning many of the islands and reefs of the South China sea into sea fortresses, complete with harbours, aircraft runways and air defenses.
This resource-rich territory is disputed by China, Vietnam, The Philippines, Taiwan and others.
The interview and discussion you will read in chapter one between Alessandra Cristoforetti and Dr Michael Illenescu tells it like it is. It’s fast turning into one of the world’s flashpoints.
For further reading including photographs of the Islands see these:-
HTTPS://AMTI.CSIS.ORG/airstrips-near-completion/
HTTPS://AMTI.CSIS.ORG/airstrips-scs/
HTTPS://AMTI.CSIS.ORG/chinas-new-spratly-island-defenses/
STEPHEN MAKK. 2018.
Chapter 1
A BLUE CALM SEA STRETCHED out to the west, and a warm, low haze lay placidly over the surface. Captain Daniel Ramos looked through binoculars out to the west. The BRP Rajah Lakandula, a Philippine navy Corvette, rolled gently in the long ocean swell.
It was a day for quiet, peaceful relaxation. It wasn’t a day for violence, but the day had other ideas.
He left the bridge and looked east; he could just make out the shoal. It was a low dark line on the surface around eight miles away. Captain Ramos returned to the bridge. He unhooked the intercom and called the control room.
“Lieutenant Commander Gomez, what’s she up to now?”
The Principal Warfare Officer looked at the radar screen.
Captain Ramos knew that out there to the west was a Chinese Luyang II class Destroyer, of the People’s Liberation Army Navy. She’d been making herself a nuisance all day, supporting China’s claim to the Scarborough Shoal. Ramos knew the shoal was Philippine territory.
“Sir, she’s come about and is making another run at us from the west. She’s come closer, now just nine miles west of us. She’s speeded up too. Same pattern as the last three hours. Making a dash for us, then returning to the west. Every time she dashes to the east, she gets closer. We’re being painted by her S band search radar.”
“She’s trying to threaten us, like a shark running towards another large fish.”
“Yes sir, I agree. She’s hoping we’ll be scared away.”
The Captain shook his head. “We’re in Philippine territory this close to the shoal. I’m not leaving. Lieutenant Commander, illuminate him with the fire control radar.”
“Yes sir. Radar active, target acquired.”
Long moments went by.
“Sir, I’m picking up a fire control radar, it’s a MR331. NATO code name, Band Stand.”
“We’ll stay where we are. They’re just a sea bully.”
A minute later, “Sir, tracking incoming. We have an incoming missile, speed mach point nine; classified as a type C802. It’s gone active with a homing radar.”
Shit. “Battle stations, battle stations! Come to two seven zero degrees.”
He could only present as little a surface area as possible to the missile and eject chaff as it approached. He looked through the binoculars. There it was, he could see the exhaust trail. It was coming in frighteningly fast.
“Dispense chaff, port side.” Launchers ejected canisters high to port and the chaff cloud bloomed. It seemed at first to be going for the cloud, and then turned into the ship at the port forward quarter. The 365lb warhead of high explosives penetrated deep into the Corvette and exploded. She split in two, ripped open by the powerful explosion, and soon went down.
“I’M ALESSANDRA CRISTOFORETTI and you’re watching NBC’s 40 minutes.
The tension in the South China Sea has ratcheted up several notches with the dramatic news of the sinking of a Philippine Navy Corvette. A missile launched by a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy Destroyer sank the BRP Rajah Lakandula, just west of the Scarborough Shoal. The thirteen hundred ton vessel carried a crew of ninety three; no survivors have been found so far.
Just what is it with the South China Sea? Why are there conflicting claims and counterclaims competing over the area? I have on the line Dr Michael Illenescu from the University of Queensland’s school of Oriental Studies in Brisbane, Australia. Thank you for joining us today; I know it’s early in the morning over there. Can you describe the situation for our viewers?”
“Thank you Alessandra. Rival countries have wrangled over territories in the South China Sea for long centuries, but tension has risen recently.
China, Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brunei all have competing claims.
China has rapidly been creating artificial islands in the South China Sea, expanding small islands and former reefs forming the outcrops into permanent outposts by reclaiming land with millions of tons of imported rubble and earth. These have already become a major source of tension with Washington. They now include runways and ports. They’re visited by ships and aircraft of the PLA and have their own surface to air missiles systems.
It’s said that possession is nine-tenths of the law. China does possess a large part of the islands of the South China Sea. Most of The Paracels, The Spratlys and the Scarborough Shoal are de-facto Chinese territory.
Johnson Reef and Fiery Cross Reef are virtually naval fortresses, with harbours, runways and reinforced hangars capable of housing military aircraft on the islands.
Satellite images made public this week revealed weaponised revetments. The Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington said they showed “large anti-aircraft guns and probable close-in weapons systems”, which can theoretically thwart cruise missile attacks.”
“So Dr Illenescu, they can protect these islands from other nations’ potentially hostile acts?”
“Yes, long range SAMs are also present in the form of the HQ-9. With its G band HT-233 radar it can intercept targets out to one hundred and twenty five miles. They’ve also deployed the HQ-17 short range SAM, which has around eight miles range, but it’s lethal within that envelope.”
“What’s Washington’s stance on all this?”
“The US says it’s neutral in these territorial disputes, but the US Navy has conducted "freedom of navigation operations” by sending military ships and planes near disputed islands, in efforts to demonstrate ensured access to key shipping and air routes.”
“Isn’t that provocative?”
“The Chinese Government says so, but the Philippines and the Vietnamese disagree. In their view, their Islands have been occupied. In the seventies and eighties, China and Vietnam clashed, and the Chinese seized the Paracels from Vietnam, killing some 70 Vietnamese troops. The two fought again in the Spratlys, with Vietnam losing. China and the Philippines are engaged in a maritime stand-off over the Scarborough Shoal.”
“But why are these islands so important?”
“Trade and resources, Alessandra. It’s a vital trade route for China, Japan, Taiwan and Korea. Approx. $4.5trillion of shipping trade passes every year. The Paracels and the Spratlys may have deposits of natural resources around them; we don’t know this for sure, but it seems likely. The Spratly Islands are described as ‘a maritime region believed to hold a wealth of untapped oil and gas reserves’.”
“I see, Dr Illenescu. Thank you.” She turned to the camera. “So there you have it. The South China Sea is fast becoming a flashpoint, with potentially grave global consequences.