# If NK is serious about sinking a US aircraft carrier what's the best way for them to do it?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-nk-is-serious-about-sinking-a-us-aircraft-carrier-whats-the-best-way-for-them-to-do-it/785103>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 23, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-nk-is-serious-about-sinking-a-us-aircraft-carrier-whats-the-best-way-for-them-to-do-it/785103 "2017-04-23T23:02:41Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-nk-is-serious-about-sinking-a-us-aircraft-carrier-whats-the-best-way-for-them-to-do-it/785103/1 "2017-04-23T23:02:41Z")

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Given their known resources if the NK forces determined they wanted to sink an US aircraft carrier what is their best shot at doing so using existing hardware?

I do remember several years ago a Chinese electrically powered sub popped up in the middle of US carrier fleet exercises and surprised them so it’s not like our detection abilities are infallible.

[The uninvited guest: Chinese sub pops up in middle of U.S. Navy exercise, leaving military chiefs red-faced](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492804/The-uninvited-guest-Chinese-sub-pops-middle-U-S-Navy-exercise-leaving-military-chiefs-red-faced.html)

[North Korea says it is ready to strike U.S. aircraft carrier](http://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-northkorea-usa-idUKKBN17P026)

> [@](#):
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> North Korea remained defiant.
> 
> “Our revolutionary forces are combat-ready to sink a U.S. nuclear-powered aircraft carrier with a single strike,” the Rodong Sinmun, the newspaper of the North’s ruling Workers’ Party, said in a commentary.
> 
> The paper likened the aircraft carrier to a “gross animal” and said a strike on it would be "an actual example to show our military’s force

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**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\
**Post date:** [April 23, 2017, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-nk-is-serious-about-sinking-a-us-aircraft-carrier-whats-the-best-way-for-them-to-do-it/785103/2 "2017-04-23T23:06:09Z")

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[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=824615](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=824615)