Coast Guard spots Chinese, Russian naval ships off Alaska island

[Mary Wilson]

Sep 26, 8:15 PM

By Mark Thiessen, The Associated Press

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A U.S. Coast Guard ship on routine patrol in the Bering Sea came across a guided missile cruiser from China, officials said Monday.

But it turned out the cruiser wasn’t alone as it sailed about 86 miles north of Alaska’s Kiska Island, on Sept. 19.

The Coast Guard Cutter Kimball later discovered there were two other Chinese naval ships and four Russian naval vessels, including a destroyer, all in single formation.

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.

“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,” Rear Adm. Nathan Moore, 17th Coast Guard District commander said. ...

https://www.navytimes.com/news/your...hinese-russian-naval-ships-off-alaska-island/

 

[Emily]

https://komonews.com/news/local/hor...t-would-happen-to-seattle-in-a-nuclear-attack
'Horrific catastrophe': What would happen to Seattle in a nuclear attack?

by Karina Mazhukhina | KOMO News
Friday, November 22nd 2019

"What Happens in a Bomb Blast?" is based on NUKEMAP created by Alex Wellerstein. Shows the potential devastation of a nuke dropped on Seattle. (Photo: Outrider)

SEATTLE – Although the Cold War is long over and the possibility of a nuclear attack presumably out of reach, scientists can’t help but wonder “What if?”
“It goes without saying that a nuclear attack on a city such as Seattle would be a horrific catastrophe,” said Hans M. Kristensen, who’s with the Federation of American Scientists.
He’s not wrong. If a warhead of 240 kilotons was dropped in the heart of Seattle, over 167,000 would die and nearly 256,000 injured.
Even if “Little Boy," yielding power of 15 kilotons and the first bomb used in war, was dropped, a whopping 74,229 people would die and over 97,000 injured.

Nearly 725,000 people live in Seattle alone. That means the entire Seattle population and its larger geographic area would be devastatingly impacted by the blast.

Washington state is a hotbed for a potential nuclear attack – and for good reason, Kristensen said.

About 20 miles west of Seattle and home to 560-foot-long black submarines that come and go, Naval Base Kitsap has the largest concentration of deployed nuclear weapons in the U.S. To put it this way, if Washington state were its own sovereign nation, it would be the third-largest nuclear-weapons power in the world, according to government estimates.

And if you guessed Russia as the potential perpetrator, you’re right.

“In a hypothetical nuclear war with Russia, the Kitsap base and its nuclear weapons storage site would almost certainly be attacked,” Kristensen said. “It wouldn’t happen out of the blue but [would] be part of a significant escalation of a war.”

“China might potentially target it as well in a nuclear war with the United States, although Chinese strategy is thought to be less focused on destroying nuclear targets and more about holding cities at risk,” he added.

The interactive map mentioned earlier shows what it might look like if a nuke was dropped anywhere in Washington state, let alone the world.

It starts with a white ball and expands into a fiery graphic...