Russian & Chinese Warship Formation Spotted Off Alaska’s Coast

“The US military revealed Monday that earlier this month a US Coast Guard had ship embarked on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea and its crew was surprised to come across a Chinese PLA Navy guided missile cruiser,” Zero Hedge reported.

However, more shocking was discovering the Chinese ship accompanied by two additional Chinese military ships and four Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer.

The Chinese-Russian patrol group was described as being “in single formation” while sailing off Alaska’s coast.

The Coast Guard released a photo of the encounter.

*Image from U.S. Coast Guard*

The Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea encountered a People’s Republic of China Guided Missile Cruiser, Renhai CG 101, sailing approximately 75 nautical miles north of Kiska Island, Alaska, September 19, 2022. https://t.co/jInFcIblUq pic.twitter.com/Ax0pcte54h

— CoastGuardNews (@CoastGuardNews) September 27, 2022

Coast Guard Spots Chinese, Russian Warship Formation Off Alaska https://t.co/wDYUM5k6X6

— zerohedge (@zerohedge) September 27, 2022

Via Coast Guard News:

The Coast Guard Cutter Kimball crew on a routine patrol in the Bering Sea encountered a People’s Republic of China Guided Missile Cruiser, Renhai CG 101, sailing approximately 75 nautical miles north of Kiska Island, Alaska, September 19, 2022.

The Kimball crew later identified two more Chinese naval vessels and four Russian naval vessels, including a Russian Federation Navy destroyer, all in a single formation with the Renhai as a combined surface action group operating in the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).

As a result, the Kimball crew is now operating under Operation Frontier Sentinel, a Seventeenth Coast Guard District operation designed to meet presence with presence when strategic competitors operate in and around U.S. waters. The U.S Coast Guard’s presence strengthens the international rules-based order and promotes the conduct of operations in a manner that follows international norms. While the surface action group was temporary in nature, and Kimball observed it disperse, the Kimball will continue to monitor activities in the U.S. EEZ to ensure the safety of U.S. vessels and international commerce in the area. A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak C-130 Hercules air crew provided support to the Kimball’s Operation Frontier Sentinel activities.

“The Honolulu-based Kimball, a 418-foot vessel, observed as the ships broke formation and dispersed. A C-130 Hercules provided air support for the Kimball from the Coast Guard station in Kodiak,” The Associated Press stated.

“While the formation has operated in accordance with international rules and norms, we will meet presence with presence to ensure there are no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska,” said 17th Coast Guard District commander Rear Adm. Nathan Moore.

“The reference to the “presence with presence” patrol strategy is a method of dissuading such enemy foreign vessels from coming near US waters by maintaining frequent naval and coast guard patrol activity,” Zero Hedge noted.

Zero Hedge added:

This latest incident follows something similar a year ago, when in September 2021 Chinese ships were spotted by Coast Guard observers 50 miles off the Aleutian Islands. The Chinese and Russian navies have also been ramping up coordinated activity in the Sea of Japan and near Japanese islands, which Tokyo has protested as an unwarranted intrusion.

*Image from Zero Hedge*

“The Chinese and Russian formation came a month after NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned about China’s interest in the Arctic and Russia’s military buildup there,” The Associated Press added.