Rantburg

Today's Front Page   View All of Fri 05/03/2024 View Thu 05/02/2024 View Wed 05/01/2024 View Tue 04/30/2024 View Mon 04/29/2024 View Sun 04/28/2024 View Sat 04/27/2024
2020-04-16 Syria-Lebanon-Iran
Iranian Attack Boats Harass U.S. Navy, Coast Guard Vessels in Persian Gulf
.50 Cal deterrent needed
[USNI] Nearly a dozen Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy (IRGCN) vessels harassed a formation of U.S. Navy and Coast Guard ships in international waters in the northern Persian Gulf, the Navy announced today.

[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
Eleven Iranian vessels "repeatedly conducted dangerous and harassing approaches of the USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3), USS Paul Hamilton (DDG-60), USS Firebolt (PC-10), USS Sirocco (PC-6), USCGC Wrangell (WPB-1332) and USCGC Maui (WPB-1304) while the U.S. vessels were conducting joint integration operations with U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopters in the international waters of the North Arabian Gulf," the Navy statement reads.

"The IRGCN vessels repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds, including multiple crossings of the Puller with a 50 yard closest point of approach (CPA) and within 10 yards of Maui‘s bow."

Images from the incident show three Iranian vessels in close proximity to Puller at once, one vessel crossing directly in front of Paul Hamilton, four vessels coming up fast behind Paul Hamilton, and more. As has been the case in other similar incidents, the IRGCN sends a large number of fast, nimble boats to speed in and out of the paths of much larger U.S. warships, causing an unsafe situation for the larger ships that take longer to stop or change direction.

The Navy and Coast Guard crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio, five short blasts from the ships' horns and long-range acoustic noise-maker devices, but they received no response from the IRGCN for an hour, when the vessels finally responded to the radio calls and increased the distance between the Iranian and U.S. ships.

"The IRGCN's dangerous and provocative actions increased the risk of miscalculation and collision, were not in accordance with the internationally recognized Convention on the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea (COLREGS) ‘rules of the road' or internationally recognized maritime customs, and were not in accordance with the obligation under international law to act with due regard for the safety of other vessels in the area," reads the Navy statement.

The Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and Army have been conducting joint interoperability operations in the North Arabian Gulf since late March, the Navy said.
Posted by Frank G 2020-04-16 00:00|| || Front Page|| [22 views ]  Top
 File under: Govt of Iran 

#1 Should have sank em. In rapid form.
Posted by Woodrow 2020-04-16 08:58||   2020-04-16 08:58|| Front Page Top

#2 Could it be Iran has the capability to retaliate (effectively) against the USN if they strike at the IRGCN boats?
If not, then why not blow the IRGCN away?
Posted by Vespasian Ebboting9735 2020-04-16 10:23||   2020-04-16 10:23|| Front Page Top

#3 Persians have Silkworms and the like. The smaller Naval and Coast Guard units probably have no defense against those
Posted by Mullah Richard 2020-04-16 10:54||   2020-04-16 10:54|| Front Page Top

#4 ^ Other than the promise of a massive counterattack.
Posted by Frank G 2020-04-16 11:05||   2020-04-16 11:05|| Front Page Top

#5 Sounds like Iran really, really wants that IMF loan.
Posted by Clem 2020-04-16 11:14||   2020-04-16 11:14|| Front Page Top

#6 Why are we not at war with Iran? SACEUR has endorsed first use of nuclear weapons in any future conflict. A decapitation strike on Teheran and the war would be over before the land invasion from both sides - Iraq and Afghanistan - even started.
Posted by Spike Grineng8188 2020-04-16 11:49||   2020-04-16 11:49|| Front Page Top

#7 SNIPE the turds on the triggers. One and all.
Posted by ranture 2020-04-16 13:51||   2020-04-16 13:51|| Front Page Top

#8 Looking at those "ships" I thought that was the purpose of mounting heavy machine guns. 50 cal or 20 mm ought to slow those suckers down, no?
Posted by AlanC 2020-04-16 15:01||   2020-04-16 15:01|| Front Page Top

#9 Pull!
Damn - need to lead a little more...
Pull!
Posted by Omoter Hupeling3396 2020-04-16 15:27||   2020-04-16 15:27|| Front Page Top

#10 Looks like sports fishers taking pictures.
Posted by Skidmark 2020-04-16 22:06||   2020-04-16 22:06|| Front Page Top

12:05 EMS Artifact
12:01 Super Hose
11:58 Super Hose
11:58 Super Hose
11:44 Grom the Reflective
11:41 Deacon+Blues
11:36 Grom the Reflective
11:30 Grom the Reflective
11:27 Deacon+Blues
11:23 Deacon+Blues
11:22 M. Murcek
11:18 Deacon+Blues
11:16 Frank G
11:15 trailing wife
11:15 Grom the Reflective
11:11 Super Hose
11:09 Super Hose
11:04 Super Hose
11:03 M. Murcek
11:02 Super Hose
10:56 trailing wife
10:55 M. Murcek
10:54 DarthVader
10:48 Lord Garth









Paypal:
Google
Search WWW Search rantburg.com