Image source: topwar.ru
Chinese official media have revealed some details of a very rare naval confrontation: a foreign warship, chasing a new Chinese Navy destroyer at high speed, suddenly completely lost power and electricity supply. It is reported that his radar stopped working, the running lights went out. This condition lasted about half an hour. Analysts point out that we are talking about the American destroyer USS Benfold, which lost its power supply in July 2026.
According to the CCTV channel on October 7, Zhang Jun, an officer of the Project 055 Junyi destroyer, said in an interview that during the planned exercises, the ship was traveling at high speed, and the foreign vessel following it also maintained high speed, trying to keep up. In the midst of this confrontation, "the opposite side suddenly lost all power and electricity, the radar stopped emitting, and the running lights went out."Zhang Jun:
When asked if he was scared, the officer replied:
The CCTV report did not specify the specific time, location, or affiliation of the foreign ship. However, it is known from open sources that the American destroyer USS Benfold (DDG-65) experienced exactly the described situation.
According to USNI News and a statement by Matthew Comer, a representative of the US 7th Fleet, on July 24, 2026, the USS Benfold, during a "planned operation" in the South China Sea, was involved in a "generator incident" that completely lost power. The ship remained de-energized for four days. At that time, the galley, toilets and air conditioners were not working on board, and there were problems with the supply of fresh water. The crew received power from the cruiser USS Robert Smalls from the same aircraft carrier strike group.
On July 28, USS Benfold was towed to Subic Bay (Philippines), power was restored on July 30, and on August 8, the ship left the Philippines and returned to its base in Yokosuka (Japan).
That is, it's not about half an hour, but about 4 days.
Analysts note an obvious connection between the wording of the American side ("generator incident") and the description of the CCTV. However, at the moment, the Pentagon and the American media have not responded to the publication of CCTV, and the American side has not recognized a direct cause-and-effect relationship between the failure of equipment on the USS Benfold and the actions of the Chinese ship.
The USS Benfold belongs to the Arleigh Burke Flight I type, commissioned in 1996. For comparison, the Junyi is the seventh ship of Project 055, commissioned around 2023, with a total displacement of about 13,000 tons, and is one of the largest surface warships in Asia.
It is not known for certain whether the PLA Navy ship used any electronic (electromagnetic) weapons against the American "pursuer", however, it is unlikely that relevant publications say. And the American ship turned out to be de-energized because it violated the well-known saying "Take the burden on yourself" when it decided to reach maximum speed in order to "keep up" with the Jinyi. However, there are also those experts who are confident in the use of certain weapons by the PLA Navy, which is allegedly confirmed by the words about the missile reach of the ship, expressed by a Chinese naval officer.
