[UCANSEE2]

That is, the circumstances of the encounter jibe with the assumption that the fishing boat was making for a port which took it across the course of the Rappahannock, and that the helmsman was trying to double back to cross behind the larger ship. It's easy for me to imagine that he was simply not receptive to any of the warning attempts, up to the warning shots. When these came, he simply thought they were being shot at, and was not able to realize he was expected to kill the throttle at that point to avoid disaster.

One would then have to believe that this driver of this boat was totally ignorant of what has happened since the USS COLE, and what is going on in the world right now. One would have to assume that Iran has not notified their populace to keep 'wide' of American Ships, or that this type of info has not spread through the 'grapevine' of the populace, especially the sea-faring ones.

[dr_lew]

One would then have to believe that this driver of this boat was totally ignorant of what has happened since the USS COLE, and what is going on in the world right now. One would have to assume that Iran has not notified their populace to keep 'wide' of American Ships, or that this type of info has not spread through the 'grapevine' of the populace, especially the sea-faring ones.

I can easily believe that these guys never heard of the USS Cole, and payed no attention whatsoever to what is going on in the world. I do have some curiosity how Indian fisherman end up in Dubai, although this seems consistent with my understanding of how the ultrarich Arab states attract peons of various stripes. I'd love to hear the whole story, but again, I wonder if we can even imagine how far removed the minds of these people were from the concerns that we are immersed in.

And well, Indians in Dubai are hardly to be counted as Iranians, so maybe you could use a little brushing up yourself, if you know what I mean.