Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident
Encyclopedia
The Strait of Juan de Fuca laser incident occurred on 4 April 1997, when the Russia
n merchant ship Kapitan Man
was anchored in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
, approximately 5 miles (8 km) due north of Port Angeles, Washington
. Responding to a request based on previous suspicious activity of the ship, the Canadian Forces
dispatched a CH-124 helicopter
to fly by the ship and take photographs of the vessel and its abnormal aerial antenna
structure which was indicative of a ship that may conduct ELINT or SIGINT
activities.
pilot Capt. Patrick Barnes. Lt. Daly was the Navy's foreign-intelligence liaison officer
in Esquimalt, British Columbia
, heading a joint U.S.-Canadian helicopter-surveillance operation against Russian, Chinese
, and other spy ship
s operating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates British Columbia
from Washington state
, and in Puget Sound
, the site of major U.S. nuclear
ballistic missile submarine
and aircraft carrier
bases.
s of the ship and its bridge
, Lt. Daly suddenly experienced intense pain in his right eye as well as temporary blindness
. After examination, it was concluded that Daly suffered direct laser
burns to his right eye, as well as other vision problems and severe headaches. Captain Barnes was also injured in a similar manner and was permanently grounded as a result of this incident. He has since lost all his flight qualifications. A USAMRD (United States Army Medical Research Department) analysis indicated that the crew was most likely hit with a Nd:YAG laser
.
Kapitan Man
Shortly after the incident, Coast Guard
teams were given two hours to search the vessel but did not locate a laser. Teams were not given full access to the ship, however, and the Clinton
administration had warned the Russian government in advance the ship would be searched.
has been orchestrated by the State Department to avoid hindering international negotiations.
The ZM-87
Portable Laser Disturber has been suspected of being the weapon used.
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n merchant ship Kapitan Man
Kapitan Man
The Kapitan Man is a former Soviet-era multi-purpose merchant ship . Part of a series of ships, she was designed to navigate the Arctic waters and is fitted with an ice-breaking bow. The ship is currently registered and operating under the Russian flag...
was anchored in the Strait of Juan de Fuca
Strait of Juan de Fuca
The Strait of Juan de Fuca is a large body of water about long that is the Salish Sea outlet to the Pacific Ocean...
, approximately 5 miles (8 km) due north of Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles, Washington
Port Angeles is a city in and the county seat of Clallam County, Washington, United States. The population was 19,038 at the 2010 census. The area's harbor was dubbed Puerto de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles by Spanish explorer Francisco de Eliza in 1791, but by the mid-19th century the name had...
. Responding to a request based on previous suspicious activity of the ship, the Canadian Forces
Canadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
dispatched a CH-124 helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
to fly by the ship and take photographs of the vessel and its abnormal aerial antenna
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
structure which was indicative of a ship that may conduct ELINT or SIGINT
SIGINT
Signals intelligence is intelligence-gathering by interception of signals, whether between people , whether involving electronic signals not directly used in communication , or combinations of the two...
activities.
Helicopter Crew
On board the aircraft were U.S. Navy Lt. Jack Daly and Canadian ForcesCanadian Forces
The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces."...
pilot Capt. Patrick Barnes. Lt. Daly was the Navy's foreign-intelligence liaison officer
Liaison officer
A liaison officer or LNO is a person that liaises between two organizations to communicate and coordinate their activities. Generally, they are used to achieve the best utilization of resources or employment of services of one organization by another. In the military, liaison officers may...
in Esquimalt, British Columbia
Esquimalt, British Columbia
The Township of Esquimalt is a municipality at the southern tip of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. It is bordered to the east by the provincial capital, Victoria, to the south by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, to the west by Esquimalt Harbour and Royal Roads, to the northwest by the...
, heading a joint U.S.-Canadian helicopter-surveillance operation against Russian, Chinese
People's Republic of China
China , officially the People's Republic of China , is the most populous country in the world, with over 1.3 billion citizens. Located in East Asia, the country covers approximately 9.6 million square kilometres...
, and other spy ship
Spy ship
A spy ship or reconnaissance vessel is a dedicated ship intended to gather intelligence, usually by means of sophisticated electronic eavesdropping. In a wider sense, any ship intended to gather information could be considered a spy ship....
s operating in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, which separates British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
from Washington state
Washington State
Washington State may refer to:* Washington , often referred to as "Washington state" to differentiate it from Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States* Washington State University, a land-grant college in that state- See also :...
, and in Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
, the site of major U.S. nuclear
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
ballistic missile submarine
Ballistic missile submarine
A ballistic missile submarine is a submarine equipped to launch ballistic missiles .-Description:Ballistic missile submarines are larger than any other type of submarine, in order to accommodate SLBMs such as the Russian R-29 or the American Trident...
and aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
bases.
Laser damage
While taking photographPhotograph
A photograph is an image created by light falling on a light-sensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic imager such as a CCD or a CMOS chip. Most photographs are created using a camera, which uses a lens to focus the scene's visible wavelengths of light into a reproduction of...
s of the ship and its bridge
Bridge (ship)
The bridge of a ship is the room or platform from which the ship can be commanded. When a ship is underway the bridge is manned by an OOW aided usually by an AB acting as lookout...
, Lt. Daly suddenly experienced intense pain in his right eye as well as temporary blindness
Blindness
Blindness is the condition of lacking visual perception due to physiological or neurological factors.Various scales have been developed to describe the extent of vision loss and define blindness...
. After examination, it was concluded that Daly suffered direct laser
Laser
A laser is a device that emits light through a process of optical amplification based on the stimulated emission of photons. The term "laser" originated as an acronym for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation...
burns to his right eye, as well as other vision problems and severe headaches. Captain Barnes was also injured in a similar manner and was permanently grounded as a result of this incident. He has since lost all his flight qualifications. A USAMRD (United States Army Medical Research Department) analysis indicated that the crew was most likely hit with a Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG laser
Nd:YAG is a crystal that is used as a lasing medium for solid-state lasers. The dopant, triply ionized neodymium, typically replaces yttrium in the crystal structure of the yttrium aluminium garnet , since they are of similar size...
.
Kapitan ManKapitan ManThe Kapitan Man is a former Soviet-era multi-purpose merchant ship . Part of a series of ships, she was designed to navigate the Arctic waters and is fitted with an ice-breaking bow. The ship is currently registered and operating under the Russian flag...
Search
Shortly after the incident, Coast GuardUnited States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
teams were given two hours to search the vessel but did not locate a laser. Teams were not given full access to the ship, however, and the Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration had warned the Russian government in advance the ship would be searched.
Conspiracy theory
Lt. Daly and his peers are adamant to this day that a cover-upCover-up
A cover-up is an attempt, whether successful or not, to conceal evidence of wrong-doing, error, incompetence or other embarrassing information...
has been orchestrated by the State Department to avoid hindering international negotiations.
The ZM-87
ZM-87
The ZM-87 Portable Laser Disturber is a Chinese electro-optic countermeasure neodymium laser device. The ZM-87 was primarily intended to blind humans but was also reported to damage the photo-electric elements in laser rangefinders and videocameras and missile seekers...
Portable Laser Disturber has been suspected of being the weapon used.