Video: Russian destroyer comes within 15 meters of US Navy cruiser in Philippine Sea

June 7, 2019, by navaltoday

Russian Udaloy-class destroyer Admiral Vinogradov came within 15 meters (50 feet) of US Navy cruiser USS Chancellorsville (CG-62) in a close encounter in the Philippine Sea on June 7.

The US Navy has released video footage of the incident, which it labeled as an unsafe action that put the safety of crews and ships at risk.

“While USS Chancellorsville was recovering its helicopter on a steady course and speed when the Russian ship DD572 maneuvered from behind and to the right of Chancellorsville accelerated and closed to an unsafe distance of approximately 50-100 feet,” the US Navy said.

USS Chancellorsville was forced to execute all engines back full and to maneuver to avoid collision.

Russia’s Pacific Fleet blamed the USS Chancellorsville for the encounter, saying Admiral Vinogradov was the one undertaking emergency action to avoid a collision, according to Russian media reports.

Below is the US Navy video footage of the encounter