About 64 acres. A square 1670 feet on a side. Yet another benefit of global warming sea-level rises.
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| U.S. Navy Officers In Crosshairs Over Iran Debacle | ||
| 2016-06-24 | ||
| The Navy has completed its investigation into how sailors were detained by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards in January, and it appears unlikely that any U.S. service member will face court-martial. Cmdr. Mike Kafka, a Navy spokesman, confirmed the status of the investigation, and said it is now "being referred to appropriate commands for adjudication." That could range from criminal charges and a court-martial trial to administrative punishment. However, a Navy official told The Washington Post Thursday that the service's top officer, Adm. John Richardson, plans to announce June 30 what actions the service has taken against the officers and enlisted sailors involved after they are completed, making criminal trials unlikely. "I haven't heard anything criminal," the person said. Another Navy official said most punishments "are likely to be administrative," but declined to say that no criminal charges are possible. Foreign Policy magazine reported Wednesday that the Navy is considering whether to punish nine personnel, including six officers, for a mission in which two riverine command boats strayed into Iranian territorial waters. Ten sailors and the two boats were temporarily detained, an embarrassment that Iran used in numerous propaganda videos it released through state media in following months. One of those under the most scrutiny is Capt. Kyle Moses, Foreign Policy reported. He is the commander of Task Force 56, a unit whose sailors have a wide variety of missions in the Middle East, including explosive ordnance disposal, diving, construction riverine operations and military intelligence collection. Fox News reported Thursday that he will be relieved of his command, a move that can end a career. The boats and sailors were captured Jan. 12 in the Persian Gulf near Farsi Island, where the Revolutionary Guards have a naval base. The sailors were taken into custody overnight, and released the following day after Secretary of State John Kerry intervened.
The incident occurred as the sailors were traveling north from Kuwait to Bahrain. A defense official said then that the boats departed Kuwait about 9:23 a.m. local time, and were approached by the Iranians about 2:10 p.m. A search was launched afterward until the Iranians informed the Americans about 6:15 p.m. that the sailors were in their custody.
After having sailed into Iranian waters without realizing it, one of the American boats — the one that had to be fixed the day before — broke down. As the sailors tried to fix the bolt on the engine mount, two Iranian Revolutionary Guard patrols arrived, with their weapons pointed at the U.S. sailors. Soon a third ship showed up, followed by a fourth ship that was larger and more heavily armed. The Americans decided they would surrender to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard troops rather than try to shoot their way out. The Iranians filmed 10 U.S. sailors kneeling with their hands on their heads, while the skipper of the boats, Lt. David Nartker, apologized for their navigation error, and then promptly released the videos. | ||
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 “The story here is these guys had gotten so used to Iranians doing stupid s---, having weapons pointed at them all the time, Any different from the patrol SOP not to shoot Somali pirates till they shot first? |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-06-24 13:34 |
| #6 Farsi Island is an Iranian island in the Persian Gulf. There is an IRGC Navy base on this island. The island has an area of about 0.25 km2 (0.10 sq mi) Its maximum elevation is 4 metres (13 ft). About 64 acres. A square 1670 feet on a side. Yet another benefit of global warming sea-level rises. |
| Posted by: Bobby 2016-06-24 13:14 |
| #5 “They messed up pretty bad.” But the crew had "Diversity." |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-06-24 13:01 |
| #4 From the link cited by CDR Salamander: Multiple defense officials tell Fox News a “multitude of errors” led to the capture of the U.S. Navy crew. First, there was no navigation brief, a major violation of Navy protocol. When any Navy ship gets underway, even for something as minor as shifting berths from one pier to another, it is standard for a Navy crew to conduct a navigation brief discussing issues such as hazards to navigation or, in this case, an Iranian base near the planned course. Second, the chain of command was not well defined on the two boats. While a young lieutenant was the highest-ranking individual on either of the two 50-foot boats, when the order was given to evade the Iranian forces, the helmsman refused the order. Third, defense officials tell Fox News the Navy had become too complacent with the its treatment by Iranian forces in the months leading up to the January capture. “The story here is these guys had gotten so used to Iranians doing stupid s---, having weapons pointed at them all the time, they didn’t know they were being captured until the Iranians boarded their boats,” one defense official said describing the lack of situational awareness by the Navy crew. “They messed up pretty bad.” |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-06-24 12:57 |
| #3 According to Cmd Salamander, the helmsman refused a direct order to maneuver. |
| Posted by: Shipman 2016-06-24 11:35 |
| #2 A sextant during daytime won't give you much more than latitude. It's 'shooting bearings' off landmarks listed on the chart that gives you a fairly good position. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2016-06-24 08:37 |
| #1 But they had no experience navigating across the Persian Gulf in their small riverine command boats So, the local fisherman were more skilled than those the Navy puts out to sea. I take it they long ago discontinued to teach the Sextant at the service schools. Too ancient for modern mariners. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2016-06-24 07:56 |