Thursday, April 13, 2017

Is There A North Korean, Russian, Or Iranian Sub Off The Coast Of California?

Concerns have circulated that a foreign submarine from North Korea, Russia or Iran could be the reason for the unusual military activity off the coast of California

Daily Mail: Is there a Russian or North Korean submarine off the coast of California? Unusual Navy aircraft patrol searches spark fears

* Several military crafts were spotted idling off the California coast on Monday
* Three low-lying planes were reportedly in the area for several hours
* The reports have sparked concerns of a possible foreign submarine

The idling presence of anti-submarine military crafts hovering off the United States' West Coast has prompted concerns of a possible threat to national security.

Concerns have circulated that a foreign submarine from North Korea or Russia could be the reason for the unusual military activity off the coast of California.

Three low-lying military aircraft were reportedly seen in the area using flight-tracking software, despite it not being a normal area of surveillance.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I have been reading this story on and off in the non-mainstream media for the past week. An Iranian sub .... no way. A Russian sub .... maybe. A North Korean sub .... I would be surprised. Personally .... I think this is all just a U.S. military exercise .... but then I am continually reading stories like this one .... North Korea's hidden submarine threat is another worry as regime warns it's 'ready' for war (CNBC). Hmmmm .... let us all hope that it is just a military exercise.

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

If it's Nork then it should be sunk.
Give them a taste of their own medicine

fred said...

dear (of course Anon
the sub is in international waters. Does that matter? We too have ships close to enemies, but in international waters...

Anonymous said...

Different Anon. .
I think this is the biggest threat to the US and its as serious as it can get. The smallest nuke - think old designs like fat man or little boy, could cause hundreds of thousands of deaths and trillions of dollars damage to the US, basically making China instantaneously #1 in the world, and reigning in decades of global warfare and unrest, as all parties exploit the power vacuum. Sure, as I said before, the US could completely wipe out north Korea in response but that won't change a thing. If China wants to change the world order and reign in a century of their rule, this is what I'd do: tell everyone in the world that you can't control north Korea,while still doing lots of trade with them as we've found out this week (year on year trade up by 40% between China and north Korea), basically allowing and enabling them to do this expensive military program. And then sit back and relax.
World as we know might end soon.

Anonymous said...

And just to point out the obvious. .not only would this end US economic Dominance but also wipe out its hopes of being a technological leader for decades to come, including in Fintech, Internet/Iot, cyber etc. ..silicon valley and the SF/bay area hosts/concentrates a lot of brain power...but it would also destroy over of America's most powerful cultural and ideological "weapons": Hollywood

Jay Farquharson said...

https://www.google.ca/amp/www.vanityfair.com/news/2015/01/china-worlds-largest-economy/amp

Anonymous said...

Look - I am not saying this is what's going to happen for sure, but I am saying this is no longer a likelihood that is smaller than 0.1%. I would argue it's technically absolutely possible. Here's why:

1. Can North Korea build a nuclear device/missile? Absolutely. 100%
2. Can North Korea move such a device close to the east or west coast. Yes, I believe so. They have subs, it's not difficult to imagine that with effort they could move it into place, albeit with refueling needs, as they do not have a nuclear powered sub. So there is a huge likelihood of detection over long periods of time (contrary to a nuclear sub, which doesn't even have to go up to get fresh air for weeks and longer, given that food supplies don't run out)
3. Can they do this undetected? This is the most difficult part and I'd say they can only do it if they move very slowly (which is difficult as a non-nuclear sub cannot stay under water for great lengths of time, but with the right amount of effort/coordination, it is absolutely possible and was even possible for German subs during WW2) - this was 7 decades ago.. technology has moved on.

While I really think that the US has great sub detection capabilities, the likelihood for such a strike is not lower than 0.1% any more from my point of view. And it would be a life changing event for all of us. The US needs to pay more attention to this.

Think I'm crazy? Did the US see pearl harbour coming? Did the US see 9/11 coming? Did the US see the Cole attack coming? Did the US see the China intervention during the first Korean war coming? All cases: No. The US is just not good at intel and detection measures. Never was. You could of course say, those were all "inside jobs", sure, but then who is wearing the tinfoil hat, you or I?

All I am saying is this: a nuclear strike on the East coast of the US is something that we might realistically see in our lives, even in this decade, and especially next, as technology for state actors like North Korea progresses. Is it likely? NO. But I would give it around 0.1-0.5% chance. And as this would change the world order as we know it, it is something we should be worried about, ESPECIALLY as we know North Korea is being helped by China (at least economically - and I am sure by other means as well), and Iran (technologically), and Russia (politically).

fazman said...

If its a nth korean sub it will sink itself!, or be heard for sure.

James said...

Anon,
No, you're not crazy.

Jay Farquharson said...

The "best" of the NORK subs are 22 Chinese built, copies of the 1950's Soviet Romeo Class Diesel Electrics.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romeo-class_submarine

At 120db, they are noisy as hell, ( 20db quieter than Soviet Romeo's), and other than that, their only upgrades are the ability to fire wire guided torpedo's and anti-ship missiles.

If there is a "lurking" sub off the California Coast, it ain't a NORK

Anonymous said...

Jay - I understand that. But you can't rely on that online link to be a realistic or complete assessment of their capabilities. We keep getting surprised all the time as I've pointed out above, yet every time we move on and a few years later think we know it all again and that such a surprise is madness. The only madness here is to keep doing the same and expecting not to be surprised again.

Jay Farquharson said...

North Korea makes mini subs, ( several have sunk for no reason) semi submersibles, ( like the ones the Cartels use to smuggle coke), patrol boats and fishing trawlers.

North Korea buys foreign made subs, frigates, destroyers, freighters, tankers, deep water fishing vessels and factory ships.

In December, the NORKs, in year 4 of a 6 year program, launched their first, indigenously built, small frigate, it will spend a year and a half fitting out, and then half a year in training and sea trials.

The odds that the NORK's have a funtional submarine off the coast of California with a nuke, are the exact same odds that the NORK's have a Carrier Strike Group off the coast of California with a couple hundred nukes.

fazman said...

I heard that the klingons have been supplying kim, so that is possible jay!

War News Updates Editor said...

Damn those Klingons. Always wanting to die with honour.