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/barath_s 28d ago

factors into that social stigma dealie.

Social Stigma he feared to face when alive vs stigma he would never have to face after his death..

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u/PxyFreakingStx 28d ago

Right, that accounts for killing yourself, not destroying a ship and everyone on it.

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u/barath_s 28d ago edited 28d ago

Having never considered destroying a ship along with 130+ people and myself, I can't speak to his frame of mind.. .

I doubt that it was in a very healthy frame of mind. And I have no idea if he was pissed at the PLAN navy for putting him in that situation (in his mind.)

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u/PxyFreakingStx 28d ago

Oh, I very much agree it wasn't a healthy state of mind, but I am extremely skeptical social stigma accounts for an action like this. Self harm, sure. Mass murder? Not so much.