Ships from different countries that participated in an international maritime exercise in Hawaii and Southern California in 2022 have been passed off as American, British and French warships that arrived in the Philippine Sea.
The Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise is biennally conducted by the U.S. Pacific Fleet.
A TikTok post on May 31, however, falsely claimed that:
(T)he US Aircraft Carrier (CVN-72) and 20 British and French Navy Warships Arrived in the Philippines.
The video showed a fleet of ships treading the seas and U.S., United Kingdom and French flags.
The U.S. Navy’s most recent documentation of CVN-72 last May 28 reveals it was in the Pacific Ocean at the time.
Meanwhile, the last time a British warship entered the Philippines was on Feb. 28. Her Royal Majesty Spey reached Manila Bay.
The French Embassy has no recent reports whether its ships are in the Philippine Sea. On May 31, French Navy destroyer Bretagne, one of their country’s largest ships, arrived at the Manila Port for a five-day port visit.
A keyframe video analysis revealed that clips used were of the 2022 RIMPAC.
Old videos of the CVN-72 uploaded by the US Navy were also misused.
The TikTok video has garnered 367 views, 37 reactions, two shares and three bookmarks as of writing. The video can be further traced from a May 28 YouTube video posted by an unve. (GL)