My son’s best friend was skipper of an Adak-class USCG patrol boat in the Gulf for a year.
They had quite a bit of harassment from IRGC boats but no really close calls. I was very concerned about their backup, which was “over the horizon” on a carrier, not in port at Bahrain.
Anyway, he’s home, on the beach, without a scratch. I do think the mission was a little more aggressive than they way you describe the riverine USN boats.
I’m not saying they don’t take a risk, being out on the water in a guard role. They could be blown up with one shot from a 40mm-76mm gun fired from beyond their return fire range.
My point is that they are not SWCC, and this was not some “covert op gone wrong.”
In fact, the USCG left the Gulf after taking some casualties, and that was the genesis of the Riverine Squadrons, picking up where the USCG left in the PG: guarding ports and inlets.