Mystery deepens in 'sabotage' of oil tankers in Persian Gulf [Anchored Oil Tankers Attacked]

Jerusalem Post ^ | May 13, 2019 15:58 | Seth J. Frantzman

[topher]

As tensions rose over the weekend between the US and Iran in the Persian Gulf, several vessels were “sabotaged” off the coast of the United Arab Emirates. Both Iranian media and the UAE reported the incident, but 24 hours after it happened, much of what occurred was still shrouded in mystery, with allegations of “explosions” and questions about how severe the “sabotage” actually was.

The Saudi energy minister confirmed that two of its oil tankers were targeted in a “sabotage attack.” It took place as the tankers were “on their way to the Arabian Gulf” via the Emirate of Fujairah, the statement said. The UAE said that in total four boats were damaged. The UAE’s The National claimed that “Iranian and Lebanese media outlets aired false reports of explosions.” The same reports in the UAE said the tankers had been on their way to the US after being loaded with Saudi oil. No one was hurt, the UAE said.

[Paul R.]

https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=MTTIMUSSA1&f=M

[A strike]

“Appears to be impact damage from a vessel with a bulbous bow...”

Also appears it would have to have been surface.

[A strike]

” ...and I will guarantee it’s not them. “

Thx for your worthless ‘guarantee’.

[sockmonkey]

*** They would like nothing better than to embroil Trump in a conflict to piss his base off. ***

I was Trump’s base. For me, that ship has already sailed.
We are still in Syria, Afghanistan, threatening VZ, Cuba, Iran. And trying to bend a bunch of other countries to the neocon will.

[apoliticalone]

“Are there any Freepers out there who still believe these propaganda reports anymore?”

Hope not.

The Middle East is still afflicted with a prolific disease called “war by deception”. We Americans are destroying our country, treasury and military, by being continually suckered into playing along.

I voted for Trump to secure our borders and MAGA, not waste away our nation even more in the ME. Let those who live there do all the paying and dying. Having our fleet and military there makes us highly vulnerable to false flags.

[neverevergiveup]

Are there the submarine equivalent of military drones? Could you release a bunch of drones in the area, and use them to ‘light up’/target submarine targets for destruction from the air?

[neverevergiveup]

“We are still in Syria, Afghanistan, threatening VZ, Cuba, Iran. And trying to bend a bunch of other countries to the neocon will.”

I agree with your overall premise, but I still give Trump a break for this. If a surgeon walks into a totally botched surgery, they can't just ‘close’ the incision. I don't think the fix for a lot of these situation is just walking away. I wish it was. That said, I don't want the neocons to have ANY input into anything that has to do with US policy.

[Spktyr]

Diesel-electric subs got a lot better and a *lot* quieter. The latest ones from multiple countries around the world can stay submerged underwater for weeks. The way we found most enemy diesel subs through the 70s was by hearing them come up to snorkel depth and start their diesels to recharge; modern boats have air-independent propulsion and charging systems; some use noiseless fuel cells as generators.

*Allied* modern diesel, which should these days really be called non-nuclear, boats have routinely penetrated US carrier battle groups that knew they were supposed to be there - and gotten point blank shoots on carriers. Non-nuclear subs got a lot better: https://nationalinterest.org/blog/the-buzz/swedens-super-stealth-submarines-are-so-lethal-they-sank-us-18383

[Spktyr]

Yes and no, respectively.

[Spktyr]

Some of the Iranian boats will be quite a bit longer coming up. Courtesy of tech stolen or bought from Europe, some Iranian boats have AIP systems and will be able to stay submerged for quite a while.

[Spktyr]

Go look at the Gotland class for a modern electric boat. Russia never bothered getting their D-E boats modernized and the Kilo is an antiquated threat.

Iran is known to have bought or stolen the tech for Gotland and other continental counterparts.

[Stayfree]

It would take a pretty powerful explosive device to do that kind of damage to some pretty thick steel, but may have injured the power plant inside

[neverevergiveup]

Thank you.

[Taxman]

“. . . on their way to the US after being loaded with Saudi oil.”

I thought we were “Energy Independent?”

Why are we still buying Saudi oil?

[AFPhys]

War against Iran ought to be STRIKE once, maybe twice... HARD... from afar. Then NO NATION BUILDING. Let their remaining dogs fight it out themselves. Hit them a third fourth fifth... etc... time as needs be. As BlueLancer said:

---

-------------------------------------------------

200 years from now, I want their children's children's children
to cower and cringe in fear whenever they hear the sounds of jet engines overhead
because their legends tell of fire from the sky.

I want them to hide in dark caves and holes in the earth,
shivering with terror whenever they hear the roar of diesel engines
because the tales of their ancestors talk about metal monsters
crawling over the earth, spitting death and destruction.

I want their mothers to be able to admonish them with
"If you don't behave, the Pale Destroyers will come for you",
and that will be enough to reduce them to quivering obedience.

I want the annihilation to be so complete that their mythology
will tell them of the day of judgment when the stern gods from across the sea
.. the powerful 'Mericans .. destroyed their forefathers' wickedness.

(Original created by BlueLancer ... 13 September 2001)

[BradyLS]

I thought it was a rabbitfish!

[BigEdLB]

It could be done quietly. Barracudas are scavengers.

[qaz123]

I don’t know what an AIP system is, but eventually they’ll be bobbing on the surface like the other ones. And the A10 pilots will be play Rock, Paper Scissors to see who gets to blow them out of the water. Those that remain will be hunted down and destroyed by with our ASW equipment and techniques. It’ll be like dolphins herding bait fish.

As for their White Surrender Flags, that they will definitely be waving ... EYE FOR AN EYE, bitches.

They’re responsible for lots of IEDs and EFPs that have killed, disabled and injured thousands, while they served in Iraq. Payback is a bitch, as the say.

[Spktyr]

AIP is air independent propulsion, including fuel cells.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air-independent_propulsion

To use the original, now almost 20 year old German Type 212 as an example (and this is likely one of the tech donors, willing or not, for Iran), it can stay down *at least* three weeks without having to snorkel and has at least twelve weeks underway duration. Newer ones are even better.

The much newer Gotland class from Sweden has an undersea endurance stated as “weeks more than the 212” and is so hard to find underwater that the US Navy borrowed one for testing and our best sonar operators often could not find it even under rigged game conditions.

[qaz123]

But, eventually time will run out and they’ll have nowhere to run, as their leadership is taken out and their country is turned into a parking lot. While I don’t the President would order the wholesale destruction of the country, I’m betting his ROEs will be a bit more “aggressive” than the last person to occupy the White House. Just my 2cents.