Failure Analysis of Cheonan Sinking.

The Cheonan, a patrol combat corvette of the South Korean (SK) Navy, sank during a routine patrol mission in the Yellow Sea in March 2010. An SK government report concluded that a North Korean (NK) submarine torpedo attack was responsible for the Cheonan sinking. This report presented a torpedo propulsion section as the conclusive evidence of an NK torpedo attack on the Cheonan. However, a forensic corrosion analysis of this torpedo propulsion section proved it could not have been involved in the Cheonan sinking. Instead, the deformation characteristics of Cheonan's hull plate and main deck are more consistent with damage due to a collision with a submarine than a torpedo explosion. Evidence that led to this conclusion is presented and discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]