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US sinks 3 Houthi attack boats as gunmen try to board container ship in Red Sea
TOI ^ | 12/31/2023 | Agencies

Posted on 12/31/2023 5:35:36 AM PST by Pox

US helicopters sank three boats carrying Houthi gunmen who attacked a container ship that was transiting the Red Sea, the US military said Sunday.

A US warship also shot down two ballistic missiles fired from Yemen, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said in a statement.

It said that at 6:30 a.m. local time, the Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and -operated container ship issued a second distress call after earlier reporting that it was hit by a missile.

(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events; Yemen
KEYWORDS: freight; houthi; iran; israel; piracy; pirates; redsea; shipping; yemen
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To: Pox

You could drop rocks from a Piper Cub and sink three of these rowboats. Big Deal. The Houthi’s have a leadership and headquarters. They should be ash.


21 posted on 12/31/2023 6:10:47 AM PST by Torahman (Remember the Maccabees )
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To: kabar
Thanks for the link to the United States Coast Guard document. As it states, "Our waterways, a wealth of natural resources and marine transportation networks, remain critical to our prosperity, our security, and our identity as a Nation. "

That document does not support the UN Navy involvement in CENTOM. That is a different mission statement. The US Navy asserts: "The United States is a maritime nation, and the U.S. Navy protects America at sea."

So the question remains. "What was being shipped, from what country and to what country?"

Some answers could be 1) "we are the world's policeman," 2) "we're paying for other nation's ships and cargo when they are not paying," or perhaps 3) perhaps the cargo was "American?" I suspect the last is not the answer.

What seems likely, unless you have citations to suggest this incorrect, is that the "Maersk Hangzhou, a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned and -operated container ship" might not be fully funding the protection of their business enterprise.

The article does not mention what the cargo was, nor its origin and destination. If not the US, and if we are funding the large share of the policing, there is a significant imbalance in the world, given the US' $34,000,000,000,000+ national debt.

But the US Coast Guard statement does not address this at all.

22 posted on 12/31/2023 6:17:50 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Alberta's Child

“Why would the U.S. even care? These aren’t American cargo ships.”

About ten percent of world trade goes through the Red Sea. You might say, why do we care? It’s not our trade. Picture markets as one big world-sized bucket of stuff. Each country dips into the bucket for their needs. If the stuff in the bucket gets more expensive, then everyone who dips into the bucket pays more, including the US consumer. Further, some of the bucket-dippers are really poor and each percent of increased costs means a certain number of people starve to death. You might say, why do we care? Well, in today’s connected world they might get on a ship to South America and eventually come acrost America’s wide-open border to sponge off American welfare payments. Or they’ll migrate to our allies and cause them problems. Anain, why do we care? It’s not a direct effect, but enough of these civilization destroying events will eventually build up to the point where we can’t do anything. It is much better to fight small manageable fires rather than wait until the entire house is on fire. Our anger arises from the fact our government makes no attempt to explain why we should care. We aren’t consulted. Part of that is because we have a representative government. They don’t hold a plebiscite for each and every issue because we hired them to make those decisions. Still, we’d be better served if the government took a minute to explain why they do the things they do on our behalf.


23 posted on 12/31/2023 6:18:15 AM PST by Gen.Blather (Wait! I said that out loud? )
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To: Pox

.....few ship owners fly a US Flag because of taxes and fees.

I think it’s time that the US sends a bill to each of these ship owners for saving their asses!

Each time a ship is saved from incoming missiles, say a Maersk ship, send Maersk and it’s freight insurers a $1,000,000,000.00 invoice. If they don’t pay it, let the missiles find their target “next time”.


24 posted on 12/31/2023 6:22:13 AM PST by Cen-Tejas
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To: Alberta's Child

It’s crazy but slowed or stopped deliveries on these massive ships on the international level causes devastating ripple effects even in the US economy. It’s also part of the thesis in Peter Zeihan’s The End of the World is Just the Beginning which is a fantastic read regarding international trade and international dependence on shipped goods.


25 posted on 12/31/2023 6:24:13 AM PST by KierkegaardMAN (I never engage in a battle of wits with an unarmed man.)
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To: Cen-Tejas
--- "Each time a ship is saved from incoming missiles, say a Maersk ship, send Maersk and it’s freight insurers a $1,000,000,000.00 invoice. If they don’t pay it, let the missiles find their target 'next time'."

Sounds like a fiscally rational plan.

26 posted on 12/31/2023 6:24:30 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: Pox

As long as our responses are appropriate.. wouldn’t want to piss off a terrorist... /s


27 posted on 12/31/2023 6:29:05 AM PST by maddog55 (The only thing systemic in America is the left's hatred of it!)
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To: sauropod

Book to read


28 posted on 12/31/2023 6:30:43 AM PST by sauropod (The obedient always think of themselves as virtuous rather than cowardly.)
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To: Worldtraveler once upon a time

*The fourth boat fled the area.*

No excuse for that.


29 posted on 12/31/2023 6:32:45 AM PST by DIRTYSECRET
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To: Alberta's Child; marktwain; kabar

Why would the U.S. even care? These aren’t American cargo ships.

“Because the world economy is supported by Pax Americana?

Because U.S. prosperity depends, in part on the world economy?

Because freedom of the seas is an integral part of the world economy?”

“Freedom of navigation is in our strategic national interests. It is part of the USN’s mission statement.

The mission of the Navy is to maintain, train and equip combat-ready naval forces capable of winning wars, deterring aggression and maintaining freedom of the seas.”

Because we are not an isolationist country, even though you may want us to be


30 posted on 12/31/2023 6:32:54 AM PST by nuconvert ( Warning: Accused of being a radical militarist. Approach with caution.)
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To: Pox

Where are the Eurocucks?


31 posted on 12/31/2023 6:34:46 AM PST by dljordan
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To: Sirius Lee

“For Empire!”

SPQR


32 posted on 12/31/2023 6:36:35 AM PST by dljordan
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To: Pox

Sighted S#it, sank same.


33 posted on 12/31/2023 6:38:09 AM PST by wetgundog
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To: Torahman
---- "You could drop rocks from a Piper Cub and sink three of these rowboats. Big Deal. The Houthi’s have a leadership and headquarters. They should be ash."

Something from the short article, not commented on:

"Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely responded to the distress call and 'issued verbal calls to the small boats'.”
Why? Like the Obama edict to troops in Afghanistan? If you're there, then shoot first and last would seem a less risky tactic. And why did one of the boats get away?
34 posted on 12/31/2023 6:38:58 AM PST by Worldtraveler once upon a time (Degrow government)
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To: dljordan

They are there.

The Red Sea is small


35 posted on 12/31/2023 6:40:56 AM PST by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Hamasci de is required in totalhe)
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To: Pox

This is ridiculous. Trump would never tolerate this crap


36 posted on 12/31/2023 6:41:30 AM PST by NWFree (Sigma male 🤪)
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To: nuconvert

That drivel is neo isolationist clap trap


37 posted on 12/31/2023 6:41:50 AM PST by bert ( (KWE. NP. N.C. +12) Hamasci de is required in totalhe)
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To: canuck_conservative

Unless the Houthi nests are attacked and destroyed, the attacks with relatively cheap drones and missles repelled by very expensive defensive weapons will continue. Apparently Iran has no problem resupplying their Houthi allies, who are willing to fight and die.


38 posted on 12/31/2023 6:43:07 AM PST by allendale
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To: FarCenter

39 posted on 12/31/2023 6:43:55 AM PST by Lonesome in Massachussets (Perdicaris alive or Raisuli dead!)
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To: nuconvert

The armchair isolationists are always happy to sit in their comfy chairs and type away while reaping the benefits of American power. I wonder what our national debt would be without international trade?


40 posted on 12/31/2023 6:45:13 AM PST by lodi90
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