Sinking Ships in the South China Sea

PAOAY, Philippines — An audible click preceded the plumes of exhaust that the two Japanese anti-ship missiles left in their wake. The Type 88 missiles unfolded their wings and cruised toward the ship at a steady subsonic speed, finding their mark six minutes after launch. The target: BRP Quezon (PS-70), a World War II-era corvette formerly used by the Philippine Navy located around 46 miles off Northern Luzon. The first missile plowed into the superstructure. Its 450-pound warhead sent a cloud of destruction several dozen feet over Quezon and threw shrapnel into the surrounding waters. An audible applause was heard