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Posted on 04/20/2026 5:39:52 AM PDT by V_TWIN
CENTCOM confirmed Sunday that the U.S. Navy fired into the engine room of an Iranian-flagged vessel after it allegedly violated a maritime blockade. The command also highlighted a six-hour standoff with the tanker in the Arabian Sea.
In a post shared on X, the command said the action followed repeated warnings.
“U.S. forces operating in the Arabian Sea enforced naval blockade measures against an Iranian-flagged cargo vessel attempting to sail toward an Iranian port, April 19,” CENTCOM said.
The command described how a guided-missile destroyer, USS Spruance (DDG-111), intercepted the vessel, M/V Touska, as it transited the North Arabian Sea at 17 knots en route to Bandar Abbas, Iran.
“American forces issued multiple warnings and informed the Iranian-flagged vessel it was in violation of the U.S. blockade,” CENTCOM said.
After Touska’s crew failed to comply with repeated warnings over a six-hour period, the command explained how Spruance directed the vessel to evacuate its engine room.
“Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room,” CENTCOM said before adding that U.S. Marines from the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit “later boarded the non-compliant vessel, which remains in U.S. custody.”
“American forces acted in a deliberate, professional, and proportional manner to ensure compliance,” it said.
Since the blockade’s commencement, U.S. forces have directed 25 commercial vessels to turn around or return to an Iranian port, CENTCOM added.
(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...
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It was a cargo vessel. I wonder what was so important on board as to try to break the blockade.
That’s what I want to know, what was the cargo.
Of course, it could have been a red herring to just see what we would do and how far we would go.
It was a cargo vessel. I wonder what was so important on board as to try to break the blockade.>>> Last port was malaysia. Wonder if they will tell us what they find. It was flagged by OFAC.
They are good: evacuate the engine room. And kablooey, they hit the engine room. This will be rinse and repeat strategy if the IRGC was to FO.
“Spruance disabled Touska’s propulsion by firing several rounds from the destroyer’s 5-inch MK 45 Gun into Touska’s engine room,”
My son graduated from the Naval Academy in 2013. His first duty was on the Spruance, at that time the newest destroyer in the fleet. I was on a family cruise where a demonstration of that 5-inch happened. Unbelievably powerful!
A week or two back, I saw where some Iranian vessel was violating the commands to stay clear of our vessels, so when our navy fired on it, they couldn’t hit it.
So many people thought it was incompetence on the part of the gun crews or design, but...most likely, they were firing shots to warn off a vessel. Those five inch guns can be pretty accurate.
Yup they are. No doubt lame stream pushed the ‘can’t hit a barn door’ trope.
Is this the same story that was posted multiple times yesterday? What is new about it, that it was “confirmed”?
That's what I was thinking too. If Centcom announces what the cargo is I guess we'll know.
Is the engine room always at the very rear of the vessel, just in front of the propellers?
Maybe nothing. Maybe she was loaded with frozen goat meat and falafel ...
Maybe the real point wasn't to get that particular cargo through the blockade, but to see if we were serious about it. Maybe it was just a "probe".
If so, they found out.
Yes ... underneath the last group of containers. Sal Marcagliano had a good video on it yesterday.
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