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< An U.S. Navy picture shows what appears to be a Russian Sukhoi SU-24 attack aircraft flying over the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea. The repeated flights by the Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes, which also flew near the ship a day earlier, were so close they created wake in the water, with 11 passes, the official said. REUTERS/US Navy

A Russian fighter jet flew dangerously close to a U.S. RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft on Thursday in the latest military provocation by Moscow over the Baltic Sea, the U.S. European Command said Saturday. “On April 14, a U.S. Air Force RC-135 aircraft flying a routine route in international airspace over the Baltic Sea was intercepted by a Russian Su-27 in an unsafe and unprofessional manner,” said Navy Capt. Danny Hernandez. “This intercept comes shortly after the unsafe Russian encounters with USS Donald Cook,” he added. “There have been repeated incidents over the last year where Russian military aircraft have come close...

This week the USS Donald Cook was harassed by a pair of Russian Sukhoi Su-24 Fencers while on patrol in international waters of the Black Sea. The aircraft flew past the USS Cook a total of 20 times. They approached the ship in simulated attack positions, approaching within 1,000 meters at an altitude of only 30 meters. The planes were joined by a Russian military helicopter that took pictures of the Donald Cook after the flybys. At the time the Cook was near Kaliningrad, a Russian territory between Lithuania and Poland. The Ship had left Poland and was sailing out...

Thumbing their noses If you’ve been watching the news over the course of the last 24-48 hours, you’ve no doubt seen the reports about Russian SU-24 attack planes buzzing the USS Donald Cook (DDG-75). This happened first on Monday, then again on Tuesday. At least one of the so-called “simulated attacks” saw the Russian fighters fly just 30 feet above the ship. If you haven’t seen the footage, here you go: The question is: Why would Putin do this? The answer is: “Because he can.”

Two Russian warplanes with no visible weaponry flew simulated attack passes near a U.S. guided missile destroyer in the Baltic Sea on Tuesday, a U.S. official said, describing it as one of the most aggressive interactions in recent memory. The repeated flights by the Sukhoi SU-24 warplanes, which also flew near the ship a day earlier, were so close they created wake in the water, with 11 passes, the official said. A Russian KA-27 Helix helicopter also made seven passes around the USS Donald Cook, taking pictures. The nearest Russian territory was about 70 nautical miles away in its enclave...

The State Department acknowledged that the crew of the destroyer USS Donald Cook has been gravely demoralized ever since their vessel was flown over in the Black Sea by a Russian Sukhoi-24 (Su-24) fighter jet which carried neither bombs nor missiles but only an electronic warfare device. On 10 April 2014, the USS Donald Cook entered the waters of the Black Sea and on 12 April a Russian Su-24 tactical bomber flew over the vessel triggering an incident that, according to several media reports, completely demoralized its crew, so much so that the Pentagon issued a protest [1]. The USS...

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Russian fighter jet made multiple, close-range passes near an American warship in the Black Sea for more than 90 minutes Saturday amid escalating tensions in the region, U.S. military officials said Monday. In the first public account of the incident, the officials said the Russian Fencer made 12 passes, and flew within 1,000 yards of the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer, at about 500 feet above sea level. The U.S. warship issued several radio queries and warnings using international emergency circuits, but the Russian aircraft did not respond.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A Russian fighter jet made multiple, close-range passes near an American warship in the Black Sea for more than 90 minutes Saturday amid escalating tensions in the region, U.S. military officials said Monday. In the first public account of the incident, the officials said the Russian Fencer made 12 passes, and flew within 1,000 yards of the USS Donald Cook, a Navy destroyer, at about 500 feet above sea level. The U.S. warship issued several radio queries and warnings using international emergency circuits, but the Russian aircraft did not respond. "This provocative and unprofessional Russian action is...

State Police today are using boats and a helicopter to search Boston Harbor for a missing sailor as the U.S.S. Donald Cook prepares to depart this afternoon. The search of the harbor and waterfront near downtown for Dustin Willis began at 7 a.m. and includes the Coast Guard, said Officer James Kenneally, a Boston police spokesperson. "This is a last ditch search to find the sailor," Kenneally said. "We're looking anywhere where someone could have fallen into the water."

ABOARD THE USS HARRY S. TRUMAN (AP) - The aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman left Virginia in December for a routine overseas deployment but ended up having to "give 'em hell" in combat. The Truman, with 5,400 sailors and Marines on board, was to pull into Norfolk Naval Station on Friday, becoming the first East Coast carrier to return from the Iraq war. A second Norfolk-based carrier, the USS Theodore Roosevelt, is due home next week. "It's kind of a relief" to be coming home, said Boatswain's Mate 3rd Class Elizabeth Lay, 23, of Billings, Mont. "These past six...

This thread is in tribute to the ships of the US Navy and the pilots of my beloved United States Air Force who fired the first shots in The War of Iraqi Liberation. USS Cowpens Cowpens is an Ticonderoga Class Aegis Cruiser. She is named after a battle in which only 300 colonials defeated a much larger and better trained force of British troops in the Revolutionary War. Her motto is "Victory Vindicates Liberty." USS Bunker Hill The Bunker Hill is also a Tico cruiser. As you can see, they've done this sort of thing before.USS Milius This Arleigh Burke...