Posted on 06/17/2019 1:27:49 PM PDT by robowombat
Two U.S. Warships in Gulf of Oman Supporting Damaged Tanker
By: Sam LaGrone June 14, 2019 10:23 AM
Sailors aboard USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) render aid to the crew of the M/V Kokuka Courageous on June 13, 2019 in the Gulf of Oman.
This post will be updated with additional information as it becomes available.
Two U.S. guided-missile destroyers are aiding a merchant ship that was damaged in an alleged attack by Iranian sectarian forces on Thursday, U.S. 5th Fleet officials told USNI News on Friday.
USS Mason (DDG-87) and USS Bainbridge (DDG-96) are assisting M/V Kokuka Courageous as the ship is prepared to be towed for repairs, U.S. 5th Fleet spokesperson Cmdr. Joshua Frey said on Friday morning. The ships were operating just off of Iranian territorial waters in the Gulf of Oman, according to signals from the merchant ships’ AIS navigation transponders.
Twenty-one mariners who abandoned the tanker after an explosion are now back aboard to assist in an operation to tow the Japanese-owned ship to safety.
“USS Bainbridge remains in close contact with M/V Kokuka Courageous and is the on-scene command authority,” Frey said.
On Thursday morning local time, Kokuka Courageous and the Norwegian-owned Front Altair were damaged in what U.S. officials allege were attacks from small attack craft owned by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy.
Separate from the regular Iranian military, the IRGCN answers to Iran’s religious leadership and is responsible for Iran’s coastal defense and the Strait of Hormuz.
Both ships were bound for Asia. The attacks occurred during a meeting between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Iran’s sectarian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in Tehran.
As of early Friday morning, the Norwegian-owned tanker Front Altair was still afloat but burning nearby. U.S. officials were unable to provide additional details on support to save the ship. Iranian state-controlled media released photos of firefighting vessels attempting to control the burning. The crew was initially rescued by a South Korea merchant ship but were transferred to an Iranian craft by request. As of late Thursday, the crew was ashore in Iran.
Late Thursday, U.S. Central Command provided reporters with a timeline of events, photos of the damage to Kokuka Courageous and a video of what CENTCOM says is Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy members removing a limpet mine from the hull of Kokuka Courageous.
Iran has denied the allegations and is contesting the efficacy of the evidence presented by U.S. Central Command.
On Thursday, Kokuka Courageous owners told reporters the ship had been shelled twice, hours apart.
“Kokuka Sangyo said it had received a report that the Kokuka Courage was hit by two shells, three hours apart,” according to a report in the Financial Times.
“Our crew said that the ship was attacked by a flying object,” Yutaka Katada, the president Kokuka Sangyo, told reporters in Japan.
It’s unclear yet if the situation will move the U.S. to start escorting ships in and out of the Persian Gulf. The U.S. destroyers briefly escorted U.S. and U.K. merchant ships through the Strait of Hormuz in 2015 after IRGCN forces captured the U.S.-flagged ship Maersk Tigris.
U.S. officials told USNI News there were no plans to start convoys as of Friday morning.
The alleged attacks on the ships in the Gulf of Oman follow May explosive attacks on four ships in the vicinity of Fujairah, United Arab Emirates which the U.S. said were conducted by Iran.
Last month, the U.S. moved the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group early from the Mediterranean Sea to the Middle East based on intelligence “a number of troubling and escalatory indications and warnings,” John Bolton, U.S. National Security Advisor, said at the time.
Norfolk, Va.-based Bainbridge and Mason are attached to the Lincoln CSG.
“The damage appears to be pretty insignificant. “
The damage may be that insurance companies refuse to issue coverage. I doubt any ship would sail without insurance.
companies refuse to issue coverage
not sure about shipping but “acts of war” are most often excluded in property insurance policies.
“The crew was initially rescued by a South Korea merchant ship but were transferred to an Iranian craft by request.”
I can picture in my mind the “request” at the end of a gun barrel. Iranian Moolahs love having hostages.
Yeah. Remember how they treated our sailors when they were captured about 5 years ago? That ain’t gonna happen under Trump.
These commercial ship owners need to whine and complain to the country where their ships are registered. They enjoy the lax rule enforcement and benefit from having crews from poor countries. Now let them understand there is risk in going to these countries with a flag of convenience. Panama, Liberia, Marshall Island, ect. The countries with flags of convenience should be held accountable. They benefit from all the fees charged to the ship owners, now let them provide the protection for those ships.
The Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the United States and is now considered a sovereign nation. In the 1980s they wanted freedom from the US. Now let them stand up on their own and protect the ships they have been registering.
It is a shame that the US navy will protect ships from other countries, yet the US does nothing for it's own maritime industry.
I'm sick and tired of the US merchant marine being treated as a red headed step child that is only needed in time of war. And then it's an after thought.
It's a good thing that 9-11 was just work place violence or something, because insurance customers were stuck for several billions.
There were a number legal actions around that attack, one being the plane attacks were 2 or 1 incident, it made a huge difference in the deductible. 9/11 was not really an act of war it was done by individuals, the tanker bombing appears to be govt military / Revolutionary guard action.
Yo Rinny! You passed p another one....seems pretty clear I have you pegged right.
so you are like the msm just put up half the line -
The point was made that trusting the Courts may be a fools errand. Some of the worst Judges in History were appointed by Republicans and the last two by Trump could well fall into that category.
We have maybe 17 more key cases to be revealed in the next couple weeks ask me about it then.
We have maybe 17 more key cases to be revealed in the next couple weeks ask me about it then.
So I understand, these cases will determine if 9/11 was an act of war by a govt or by individuals? Thanks
War Risk Insurance Premiums Surge for Oil Tanker Owners After Gulf Attacks
You say that the 9-11 attack was just a group of concerned citizens out to make us pay for whatever they deemed us guilty of, I say B$ they were a well funded group of insurgents with an assignment, which they carried out. The size of the group or government that makes war on us is not a determinant factor in whether it was in fact an act of war. Good grief they managed to kill more people than the attack on Pearl Harbor did.
You say that the 9-11 attack was just a group of concerned citizens out to make us pay for whatever they deemed us guilty of,
I said no such thing - you are making that all up
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