Thinking of my own time leading small boat detachments, why were they there initially? Was no one paying attention? They now even have GPS. There were two boats, so one could have towed the other. Back in my Old Navy even if I was leading LCM-8 landing craft without radar, I would have had a chart and noted danger bearings. Maybe they should have apologized, but I doubt it?
Could it be the Iranians have a different definition of territorial waters to which they want this Administration and our Navy to subscribe? That seems more likely.
Finally how could the Navy lose track of these boats? Why were the crews not initiating contact? During an amphibious exercise my wave of assault boats were swallowed by a fog. When I saw that fog coming I made sure the flag ship could vector us back to our LPD.
This event with directs my memory back to the Cold War involving China as well as the Soviet Union. Navy ships stationed in Yokosuka Japan â€patrolled†through the Taiwan Straits as they transited to Vietnam. Our captain told us that if any Chinese ship tried to intercept us we would fight. The prospect was not that exciting because our heaviest armament were three dual 3in50cal anti-aircraft mounts. But the Pueblo incident was on everyone’s mind and that was going to be our response.
As far as I am concerned everything we have been told by this Administration and their Navy acolytes is a lie.
This is a link to the best article I have found so far about the boats. LINK:http://www.boblonsberry.com/writings.cfm?go=4
If we ever hear the truth about what had happened, the reality may sound a bit like this article published twenty years after the Pueblo was seized. If my memory serves me right, the article finally provoked the Defense Department to allow the Pueblo crew to receive the Prisoner of War medal.
LINK: http://www.usni.org/document/bucher-lloyd-m-1989-115-2-1032pdf?magazine_article=66897
It’s going to be Benghazi-2 with this admin.