Armed Polite Society
Main Forums => The Roundtable => Topic started by: Phyphor on July 16, 2012, 11:58:56 PM
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http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/world/middleeast/united-states-navy-ship-fires-on-boat-off-coast-of-united-arab-emirates.html?_r=1
A 677-foot United States Navy refueling ship in the Persian Gulf opened fire on Monday with a .50-caliber machine gun on what appeared to be a 30-foot sport fishing boat after it ignored repeated warnings to stop, killing a crew member and causing a spike in oil prices that reflected the heightened tensions in the region between Iran and the United States.
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The United States Fifth Fleet command in Bahrain said in a statement that the shooting took place near the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a close American ally. The statement did not specify whether there were casualties or identify the nationality of the smaller vessel. But an American defense official said one person was dead, and the official news agency of the United Arab Emirates identified the victim as an Indian fisherman. At least three other Indians aboard were wounded, the agency said.
The encounter, which the Fifth Fleet command said was under further investigation, came against a backdrop of increasingly belligerent warnings from Iran against a buildup of naval forces in the area by the United States, which considers the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf a vital national interest. The tensions have grown this month because of new Western sanctions aimed at stifling Iran’s oil exports.
The larger vessel’s response also appeared to reflect heightened awareness of the potential threat of small powerboats piloted by suicide attackers, such as the one that blew a 40-foot hole in the side of the Navy destroyer Cole in October 2000 while it was refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors.
The news of the shooting on Monday, along with reports over the weekend that Iran planned to increase its military presence around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit route at the Persian Gulf’s entrance, lifted international oil benchmark prices by as much as $2 a barrel on Monday.
The Fifth Fleet said the encounter happened near the Emirates port of Jebel Ali, a docking point for American naval vessels about 30 miles southwest of Dubai.
“An embarked security team aboard a U.S. Navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship near Jebel Ali,” Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet, wrote in an e-mailed statement.
“In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the U.S.N.S. Rappahannock used a series of nonlethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force,” he said in the statement. “The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel’s operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a. 50-caliber machine gun.”
Lieutenant Raelson did not immediately provide further details.
Defense officials said the Navy crew’s efforts to warn away the vessel, which appeared to be a pleasure craft, included firing several warning shots.
The Rappahannock is a fleet replenishment oiler, used to refuel other naval vessels at sea. The Web site of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command described it as 677 feet long and 97 feet wide, with a regular crew of 84, of whom 81 are civilian mariners; the embarked security team would be in addition to the regular crew.
The Associated Press reported from Dubai that the smaller boat could have been mistaken for a threat in the gulf waters off Dubai, which are not far from Iran’s maritime boundaries.
The smaller vessel docked after the episode in a small Dubai port used by fishermen, and dozens of police officers and Emirati officials crowded around it, The A.P. reported, describing the vessel as a white-hulled civilian craft about 30 feet long, powered by three outboard motors. Similar boats are used for fishing in the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also uses relatively small, fast-moving craft in the Persian Gulf.
Rick Gladstone reported from New York, and Elisabeth Bumiller from Washington. Clifford Krauss contributed reporting from Houston.
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Better pack a LOT of KY jelly when fueling your vehicle, this'll definitely drive prices RIGHT up.
The crew of that small boat sure weren't very bright. When a naval vessel fires a WARNING BURST across your bows, there is no language barrier any longer. It's pretty obvious that they want you to be ELSEWHERE, right now.
Darwin in action or something more sinister?
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Especially since we didn't capture the boat immediatly afterwards I'm sure the "official" story will be that they were choir boys only intending to deliver an order of Girl Scout cookies for their sisters' troop.
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Secretary Clinton is preparing her apology...
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Especially since we didn't capture the boat immediatly afterwards I'm sure the "official" story will be that they were choir boys only intending to deliver an order of Girl Scout cookies for their sisters' troop.
If they really were Indian nationals (Hindu or Sikh), I'll just guess a comedy of errors on their part.
Engine noise, wind, sea-spray, bow is up, and they're not paying attention, didn't even notice the warning shots splashing in the water around them until the next burst was putting holes in things.
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I've seen the boats in that region, including pirates and a goodly portion of the Iranian navy up way too close. Random fisher dude don't have a 30ft go-fast with 3 motors. Somewhat deniable persons, go out and test our response.
Could be Iran, could be other groups.
Kinda like one day our CO says "what's that P-3 doing there?" The watchstanders, who I heard this from, all say "What P-3?" That'd be the Iranian one who flew a commercial route, squawked commercial and then dropped down to directly overfly the ship at 5K feet. Translation, we'd have been toast if they wanted it that way.
Routine provocations happen everyday. Of course from the Persian eye that big ole carrier steaming into their playground is right much of a stick in their eye. But they know if they try to sink one Afghanistan will look prosperous by comparison when we're done, so deal with it.
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If they really were Indian nationals (Hindu or Sikh), I'll just guess a comedy of errors on their part.
Engine noise, wind, sea-spray, bow is up, and they're not paying attention, didn't even notice the warning shots splashing in the water around them until the next burst was putting holes in things.
=| Do you think Indians are all of the Hindu or Sikh religions?
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The crew of that small boat sure weren't very bright. When a naval vessel fires a WARNING BURST across your bows, there is no language barrier any longer. It's pretty obvious that they want you to be ELSEWHERE, right now.
Err, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't navies/coast guard also fire across the bow when they want a fleeing vessel to stop so they can board and inspect? Maybe with a language barrier they didn't know if they wanted them to stop or GTFO.
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Err, correct me if I'm wrong, but don't navies/coast guard also fire across the bow when they want a fleeing vessel to stop so they can board and inspect? Maybe with a language barrier they didn't know if they wanted them to stop or GTFO.
I would think that doing either of those things would have prevented the addition of new ventilation and drainage ports. They kept going on their collision course at a high speed until said remodeling opportunities were demonstrated.
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When Ma Duece speaks people listen, or get shot all to hell.
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That'd be the Iranian one who flew a commercial route, squawked commercial and then dropped down to directly overfly the ship at 5K feet. Translation, we'd have been toast if they wanted it that way.
We used to do that all the time in our American P3. Whenever a new battlegroup inchoped to WestPac we would fly a mission to simulate a Soviet Bear and try to sneak up on the carrier. Almost invariably, we would get close enough to launch missles before they launched on us.
From what I understand, the use of Ma Duece was pretty far down the list of responses. Radio, flares and lasering would all come before firing across the bow. Once all of that failed, the ventilation commenced. No US skipper wants to have another USS Cole type attack on their resume.
bob
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When Ma Duece speaks people listen, or get shot all to hell.
Yep, flipping E F Hutton in carbon steel, it is.
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=| Do you think Indians are all of the Hindu or Sikh religions?
I think he was trying to say if they were Indian nationals AND either Hindu or Sikh, it was probably a misunderstanding.
He really ought to have said if they were Indian nationals and not Muslim, given that there are a significant number of Christians in India as well, but I'm guessing he was trying to step lightly around the Uslim-May word...
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=| Do you think Indians are all of the Hindu or Sikh religions?
Well, 83% or so of them are.
That is to say, it's as fair as assumption as assuming an American is a Christian (76% likely).
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I have no problem with this....sounds like the boat was probing defenses. And the "security zone" around a ship means that uninvited craft should be secure in the knowledge that they will get shot up as they approach.
As for oil/gas prices....this just gives the speculators an excuse to jack up prices & take more profit....nothing more.....
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=| Do you think Indians are all of the Hindu or Sikh religions?
Duh, no. Which is why I specified. ;/
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I think he was trying to say if they were Indian nationals AND either Hindu or Sikh, it was probably a misunderstanding.
He really ought to have said if they were Indian nationals and not Muslim, given that there are a significant number of Christians in India as well, but I'm guessing he was trying to step lightly around the Uslim-May word...
Ooooooh, OK. Went way over my head. I really couldn't tell what he was trying to say.
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=| Do you think Indians are all of the Hindu or Sikh religions?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apostle_Thomas
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ravi_Zacharias
Nope....