US Navy to send warship near disputed islands claimed by China

The U.S. Navy plans to send a ship to within 12 nautical miles of disputed islands in the South China Sea, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News -- in an apparent challenge to Beijing's territorial claims.

Reuters first reported that the Navy planned within 24 hours to send a destroyer near the Spratly Islands, an archipelago that China aggressively has laid claim to by building airstrips and other features on top of reefs. 

Reuters reported that the ship probably would be joined by a surveillance plane. 

U.S. military officials were angry over the leak, but one official reluctantly confirmed the plans.   Read more