Posted on 01/29/2016 7:20:30 AM PST by rktman
A former admiral gave the crowd a peek into his own personal experience conducting aggressive ship boardings - under the eyes of armed helicopters no less - during a brief statement Monday about Iran's recent capture of U.S. Sailors.
Joe Sestak, a retired U.S. navy admiral and current state Senate candidate for Pennsylvania, was responding to a question from John Baer of the Philadelphia Daily News during the event.
"Earlier this month, the Iranian Navy seized 10 U.S. sailors, photographed them surrendering, filmed the U.S. commander apologizing, and forced a female U.S. sailor to remove-to cover her head in Islamic modesty. Is this consistent with the Geneva Convention?" Asked Baer.
Sestak responded with a detailed comparison to his own experience as a naval officer:
(Excerpt) Read more at dailycaller.com ...
Still, why were they in Iranian waters ...
The entire incident: DISGRACEFUL, from the CIC to the most junior seaman aboard.
I DOUBT they actually crossed into Iranian waters. Period.
Not the right question:
WHERE were they actually at?
WHERE were they actually at when the Iranians detected them?
WHERE were they actually at when the Iranians began tracking them?
WHERE were they actually at when the Iranians deployed their small boat squadron, and began trailing them?
WHERE were they actually at when the USN riverine squadron detected the Iranians and began tracking the Iranians?
WHERE were they actually at when the USN commanders off scene detected the Iranians and began tracking the Iranians?
WHERE were they actually at when the Iranian small boat squadron began close attacks (using radios to threaten the US riverine assault boats, began to use speakers, got close enough to shoot at (and for the US to begin shoot back)?
WHERE were they actually at when the Iranians boarded the US riverine boats?
Where were the US aircraft or helicopters?
Where were the US command ships?
From the story:
Sestak responded with a detailed comparison to his own experience as a naval officer:
“You know, if a North Korean vessel came into our waters here, waters we own, like those waters. Were an Iranian warship, like our riverine craft, went into our waters ⦠we would board it, because theyâre in our territory. What mischief are they up to? And I would have the crew go to the end of the boat and hold their hands up. I actually did it. I walked in the shoes of my sailors every day out there. I would go out with them on that same riverine craft, and I scaled 40, 50 foot rope ladders to go up the hull of a merchant ship, with a helicopter with a gun down facing the merchant men and women ⦠who we hustled to the back, so we would be safe climbing up, and then with guns, they held it up as we looked for contraband on this neutral merchant ship that might be going into Iraq or Iran.”
So, Oboma’s “admiral” did board international MERCHANT ships (in international waters) as part of a blockade of Iranian MERCHANT traffic to prevent IRANIAN nuclear weapons development. And those merchant crews were forced topside of their ships to get mustered and inspected?
And that gives the democrats (er, the Washington Post and Obama’s national ABCNNBCBS press corpse) permission to praise Oboma’s for letting Iranian navy “boats” isolate, board larger, more heavily armed US Navy patrol boats, and take US NAVY crews prisoners off those ships on shore?
Ping
Link to actual story, not the print one
The US regime has changed the dates of the incident so many times now that it’s hard to tell what each side refers to. The secret mission was likely well known by the Iranians, since John Kerry has become their good friend.
This was just a high tech equipment transfer to Iran. They knew what they wanted and where it was located. A clumsy but effective drop by the hut team.
“Joe Sestak, Democrat Party candidate”
All I needed to know.
Kinda says it all right?
My first thought. Faster and Furiouser. bah.
1807, the USS Chesapeake, an American frigate sailing in international waters off Cape Henry, VA was hailed by a Royal Navy man of war, HMS Leopard. Chesapeake failed to hove to and Leopard fired upon her killing several American sailors. Leopard sent a boarding party who search the ship and seized 3 American sailors whom they believed to be deserted British sailors.
This was an Act of War and was a major event leading to the War of 1812. The Royal Navy, as well as many other navies, asserted a right to board, examine papers, and search merchant vessels on the high seas. But, no navy had the right to board a man of war of another navy without permission.
The facts in dispute was that the United States claimed a right to grant citizenship ship to anyone landing on their shores, while the British believed that their subjects remained bound to Britain, especially if part of the ship’s complement of a man of war. These sailors were British sailors who deserted in Norfolk whilst ashore. They later enlisted into the American Navy. Harbor Masters in America issued Seaman Protection Certificates stated that the bearer was a U.S. Citizen and entitled to all rights and privileges including protection from impressment, but these certificates could easily be secured without any proof.
The long standing tradition of navies and of Admiralty law has been that navies not at war with each other do not board each others vessels without an invitation. What Iran did was probably an act of war as certainly was the seizure of the USS Pueblo by North Korea.
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