The Iranian ships repeatedly crossed in front and behind the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds, including multiple crossings of one ship, the Puller, with a 50-yard closest point of approach and within 10 yards of another ship, the Maui's, bow, a 5th Fleet statement said.
One would think a repeat of the USS Cole would be a legitimate concern, especially with crossing the path of the ships perhaps interfering with headway and causing speeds to be reduced to mitigate the risk of collision. Multiple boats make it difficult to constantly track all participants continuously and a slower forward speed of the 'targets' could make pressing home a suicide attack easier. I think firing on boats that breach a security perimeter after warning them would be a sensible precaution, if it happens to be the 5" gun that gets used, C'est la Guerre
1) What would be the point of sanitizing the fleet unless you can guarantee no new cases of WuVid 19 will come aboard
So even my pre-coffee brain asked that question this morning.
That's a lot of work that will likely do no good.
I confess ignorance about these boats but could the navy ships just run them over like a car over a squirrel? Unfortunate accident, but they were warned about getting to close.
Agreed. I should also mention that this took place in international waters. On the one hand I appreciate the restraint that the US Navy exercised. On the other, I fully understand if the Iranian vessels had been fired upon.From the story:
The Iranian ships repeatedly crossed in front and behind the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds, including multiple crossings of one ship, the Puller, with a 50-yard closest point of approach and within 10 yards of another ship, the Maui's, bow, a 5th Fleet statement said.
Seems a bit too close for comfort to me.
So far, those boats have been a hassle for years, but rarely more than that. It is international waters, so reckless acts are only engage-able if they post an actual risk to US personnel or materiel. Kinda like the commercial flights [STRIKE]in international airspace [/STRIKE]on 911.
IMHO the ROE should remain the same: if the boats are dangerous, shoot them; if they are just harassing, practice targeting.
So what is your suggestion on how to combat this provocation and prevent potentially hostile vessels getting within 10 foot of our vessels?Firing on Iran in the gulfs or strait is a tactical nightmare.