As dawn slowly broke on the horizon, a large fleet of Chinese vessels came into view from the deck of a Philippine Coast Guard ship as it entered the contested waters of the South China Sea.
Significantly outnumbered by the number of Chinese vessels, the four ships in the Philippine convoy on a resupply mission to troops were quickly surrounded and separated during a frantic high seas skirmish on Tuesday morning.
Within just a few hours, the window of one Philippine boat would be shattered by water cannon and four sailors aboard would be injured.
China's determination to assert its disputed sovereignty over the entirety of the vast South China Sea has sparked increasing clashes with its neighbors in recent years, particularly the Philippines, which is a mutual defense ally of the United States.
But what CNN journalists on board the Philippine Coast Guard vessel on Tuesday witnessed was one of the most severe confrontations to date — and a vivid illustration of how this David versus Goliath struggle in one of the world's busiest shipping waterways could spiral into the next global conflict.
The Philippine ship tried to find safe passage through myriad China Coast Guard ships as well as fishing vessels that form part of China's shadowy "maritime militia" blocking their path.
The Philippines accused the China Coast Guard ships of colliding with two of their vessels, causing damage to their exteriors. One of the smaller Philippine boats was also hit by water cannons from two Chinese vessels, shattering the windshield and leaving the crew on board with injuries.
China countered that its coast guard vessels "took control measures" against Philippine ships that it claimed "illegally intruded" into its sovereign territory. It said the damaged Philippine ship ignored repeated warnings and "deliberately rammed" into a China Coast Guard vessel in what it said was an "unprofessional and dangerous manner."
CNN joined the Philippine Coast Guard for two days, the first time foreign journalists have been allowed to embed with the fleet in decades.
Their mission was to resupply a small group of marines living on a World War II-era ship grounded on an obscure contested reef.
Missions like this have become one of the most regular causes of direct confrontations between the Philippines and its giant neighbor China, which has built up the world's largest navy. What happens among the tiny islands, reefs and atolls of this corner of the globe could have profound international repercussions and become a major global flashpoint.
Keep reading about the journey.
More on tensions in the South China Sea
