Special Ops would be deployed by Special Boat Units - no female sailors there - or submarine insertion/extraction and neither would require the use of small boats.
No reason to put boots on the ground - for what? This administration is certainly not at war with Iran. Surveillance/Intel? Better off using drones or satellites - both would see more than any person on the ground or boat on the water and there is little/no risks.
Curious to find out more about this. I know our ships routinely travel from point A to point B in those waters simply to show that we can and make our presence felt. What I can’t figure out is if one boat “broke down” why the other could not take it in tow out of the area. I find it very hard to believe that both boats would run aground, but there have been a few former Naval Captains that have run their ship onto shore - career suicide.
As a shallow water boat it might happen more - when you’re ordered to traverse water you think might be too shallow. But that’s what the second boat’s for, right? Iranians caught them with their pants down? We definitely need details.
I don’t want to say they were spying, but they were probably spying. Which really makes it whack a doo that they just sat out there and got caught.