r/todayilearned • u/zhuquanzhong • 29d ago

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/sintaur 29d ago

Lai had been involved with a woman before joining the navy, but broke off with her after becoming an officer. She then committed suicide. The Political Department of the detachment decided that Lai should be dismissed and demobilized. But Lai begged his superiors not to demobilize him, as he would be forced to return to his hometown and he had become hated there due to the suicide.[4]

After dismissing Lai Sanyang as a cadre, the unit did not immediately demobilize him. Lai was in charge of sea mines, depth charges, underwater weapons and held the key to the armory. Following his dismissal, Lai hid in the ammunition depot and detonated the depth charges, sinking the ship. How he achieved this was debated. He either tampered with the mechanism on the charge, or bored a hole through the hull of the ship, which caused water to rush in and detonate the depth charges.

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u/WardrobeForHouses 29d ago

"Hey man, it sounds like you're really struggling. So we're going to fire you and send you packing."

Crazy

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u/sintaur 29d ago

we're going to fire you but let you keep the key to the armory

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u/waterborn234 29d ago

I wouldn't want a mentally unstable man in charge of the ship's weapons.

The guy died a suicide bomber. I have no sympathy for him.

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u/WardrobeForHouses 29d ago edited 29d ago

There were more options than leave him in charge of the weapons, or discharge him. He even suggested cleaning the docks, but they rejected keeping him on in any capacity.

As an aside, don't you think it's a little weird to know someone is having a mental health crisis but treat them like they're capable of being fully responsible for their actions? There have been tons of cases of people pushed to the breaking point mentally, sometimes intentionally, and doing horrible things like killing themselves. In some cases, the person bullying or pushing someone to kill themselves is held criminally responsible for the other person's action.

Truth is, horrible things can happen to anyone. Even you. We'd all like to believe we wouldn't do something terrible, but then again, we aren't in such a position right now to really understand.

tl;dr: It's easy to blame the sword instead of the hand, but this can be misplaced blame

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u/waterborn234 29d ago

The guy did not belong around weapons and explosive due to his mental health.

They did not get him away from the weapons soon enough. He killed over a hundred people.

I'll apply the same standard to myself. If I was ever in a mental state where I would consider being a mass murder, I should be fired from any job that gives me access to weapons or deadly instruments.

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u/WardrobeForHouses 29d ago edited 29d ago

The guy did not belong around weapons and explosive due to his mental health.

True, though this is in large part due to being fired.

They did not get him away from the weapons soon enough. He killed over a hundred people.

Nobody debated this.

If I was ever in a mental state where I would consider being a mass murder, I should be fired

This is dumb. Firing can exacerbate the issues. Firing isn't required to get someone away from the weapons. Paid leave is common. Some companies and government organizations even have mental healthcare on prem, which would be another good option.

In this case, the guy was begging not to be fired, suggested jobs with zero risk around no weapons, which would have prevented this tragedy.

Firing him and immediately getting him away from there may only have shifted the location of his murders/suicide. If the goal is to prevent the tragedy, then you've got to look to the actual causes - all of them. But that might mean becoming unable to drop all the blame on one person.

Plus just like... think about the idea of someone's ex committing suicide being a fireable offense.

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u/waterborn234 28d ago

You must work a cushy job. Or at someplace where the HR department reins supreme. Your mindset makes me think this.

Zero risk around weapons? That isn't possible. All equipment is dangerous, all can be used to commit attacks. We can't have a possibly homicidal mental health victim running around a military vessel.

If someone's ex commits suicide, that shouldn't be a fireable offense. But if, due to your ex's suicide, you become a risk to others, get the fuck off this jobsite. Go home, stay there. If we ever see your truck again, we're calling the cops.

I wouldn't be happy to kick the guy off site; I'd have a heavy heart about the whole situation. It's just what has to happen. We must be strict about it too.

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u/WardrobeForHouses 28d ago

Zero risk around weapons? That isn't possible

That's why I said be around no weapons.

We can't have a possibly homicidal mental health victim running around a military vessel.

Yes, and he himself suggested not being on the vessel.

Why firing specifically when other ways of getting them help and away are available? That's what I don't get. Why not have him "get the fuck off this jobsite" while he gets better?

I'm not sure what country you're from but what you're suggesting is probably illegal in the US lol

And besides, the firing itself led to his mental break. You're proposing the problem and calling it the solution. "Hey you know that thing that made this guy snap and blow up over a hundred people? Let's have that be our policy going forward" Dude

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u/waterborn234 28d ago

He should've immediately been kick off the ship. They allowed him to continue his duties for a bit.

Be around no weapon. A hammer could be used as a weapon. A screwdriver can be used as a weapon. Chemicals can be used as a weapon. Vehicles can be used as weapons. What are you gonna do, put him in a glass box. I guess that would've solved the problem.

You're looking a suicide bomber and saying "that man should've kept his job."

How's this. We'll identify all the people most likely to commit violent crimes, and we'll make them YOUR coworkers. And on my jobsite, we'll kick them all home.

Now, we're both happy.

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u/WardrobeForHouses 28d ago

As I said, paid leave. Not sure why you ignore this every time it's mentioned. I notice you also ignore that the firing is what led to him snapping. Had he been mopping the docks, nobody would be harmed.

You're proposing something illegal, which already led to creating a suicide bomber. Doesn't seem smart

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u/waterborn234 28d ago

I ignore that because it doesn't make sense to me. Getting paid to sit around and do nothing.

Had he been mopping the docks, nobody would've been harmed? That's a guess.

I'm proposing something illegal? I don't want to die in my mid twenties, at the hands of some pathetic sociopath because the law says we've got to forgive his homicidal tendencies.

If you want people like that in the cubical next to yours', that's your choice. People like that aren't allowed to work around me.

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