RED CHINA THE GREAT LEAP OVERBOARD IN 1958, WHEN COMMUNIST CHINA BUILT 
ITS BIGGEST FREIGHTER, THE 11,182-TON SHIP WAS CHRISTENED NATURALLY YUEH CHIN, 
OR THE S.S . LEAP FORWARD . WITH ALMOST AS MUCH 
FANFARE AS WHEN SHE WAS LAUNCHED, THE LEAP FORWARD SAILED FROM 
TSINGTAO LAST WEEK WITH THE FIRST CARGO SHIPPED FROM CHINA TO 
JAPAN SINCE THE TWO COUNTRIES SIGNED A RECENT TRADE AGREEMENT ENDING 
THEIR FIVE-YEAR OFFICIAL BOYCOTT OF EACH OTHER'S GOODS . THEN, HALF 
WAY ACROSS THE EAST CHINA SEA ONE AFTERNOON LAST WEEK, THE 
LEAP FORWARD SUDDENLY RADIOED FOR HELP . FOUR HOURS LATER, THE 
PRIDE OF CHINA'S MERCHANT FLEET LAY ON THE OCEAN FLOOR . 
THE CHINESE CREW, WHO TOOK TO THE LIFEBOATS AND WERE RESCUED 
BY JAPANESE FISHERMEN, EXCITEDLY INSISTED IN SIGN LANGUAGE THAT THEIR SHIP 
HAD BEEN PURSUED BY A SUBMARINE AND HIT BY THREE TORPEDOES 
. BUT TO JAPANESE NAVAL AUTHORITIES THEIR STORY SEEMED AS FULL 
OF HOLES AS THE LEAP FORWARD HERSELF . IF THE SHIP 
HAD REALLY BEEN TORPEDOED, THEY POINTED OUT, ITS 59-MAN CREW COULD 
HARDLY HAVE ESCAPED WITHOUT THE LOSS OF A SINGLE LIFE . 
BESIDES, WHO WOULD WANT TO SINK AN UNARMED MERCHANTMAN ? THE 
U.S . ANNOUNCED THAT IT, FOR ONE, HAD NO SUBS IN 
THE AREA . A MORE LOGICAL EXPLANATION LAY IN JAGGED SCOTT 
ROCK, AN ILL-DEFINED GROUP OF REEFS BARELY BENEATH THE SURFACE 120 
MILES SOUTHWEST OF KOREA . THE HEAD OF JAPAN'S MARITIME SAFETY 
BOARD WAS SURE THE LEAP FORWARD HAD GONE AGROUND . " 
AN ERROR OF NAVIGATION, " HE SHRUGGED . EVEN RADIO PEKING 
SEEMED UNABLE TO SWALLOW THE IDEA OF HOSTILE ATTACK, ANNOUNCING ONLY 
THAT THE GOVERNMENT WAS " ATTACHING GREAT IMPORTANCE " TO THE 
SINKING . THE TONE OF THE BROADCAST SUGGESTED THAT WHATEVER FACE 
THE SKIPPER HAD SAVED IN JAPAN WITH HIS TORPEDO TALE WOULD 
BE QUICKLY DISSIPATED ONCE HE CAME BACK TO FACE THE MUSIC 
IN TSINGTAO . 