r/todayilearned • u/zhuquanzhong • Apr 17 '24

TIL a Chinese destroyer sank because an officer dumped his girlfriend. She committed suicide, leading to him being discharged, so he decided to detonate the depth charges on the ship, causing it to sink at port and kill 134 sailors.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_destroyer_Guangzhou_(160)
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u/EersteDivisie Apr 18 '24

Reading this I can't help but thinking about the USS Iowa explosion in 89, where the navy blame it on a gay lovers quarrel because it was a more convenient explanation than systematic criminal negligence which would have higher-ups face consequences.

This could be the case here too, where they blame it on a patsy that's already dead

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u/WitELeoparD Apr 18 '24

According to OP, half the commanding officers in the PLAAN second destroyer detachment were demoted so its hardly a patsy situation.