Posted on 02/28/2021 5:23:32 PM PST by BenLurkin
An examination of damage to an Israeli-owned cargo ship currently docked in Dubai indicates an explosion that hit it in the Gulf of Oman was caused by mines covertly attached to the ship, according to a Sunday TV report.
Channel 13 news did not cite sources for the report, which contradicted earlier reported assessments in Israel that that blast was caused by missiles. An Israeli team is believed to be in Dubai to examine the ship following the suspected attack. The ship is undergoing repairs in Dubai.
Limpet mines are a type of naval explosive that attach to targets using magnets. The report speculated that the mines could have been attached to the ship’s hull during a stop at a port and later set off.
The MV Helios Ray, a vehicle carrier, was traveling from the Saudi port of Dammam to Singapore when the blast occurred on Thursday.
The crew was unharmed in the blast, but the vessel sustained two holes on its port side and two on its starboard side just above the waterline, according to American defense officials.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
“Looks like “Kokuka Courageous,” the Japanese ship the Iranians attacked.”
My bad. I had the retrieval set for 1 week or less. I figured how many holed ships would turn up?
Except he fought the bad guys.
Saw that movie must be 55 or so years ago, and still remember parts of it.
Yep, my guess is they put them on at the wrong time. The ship unloaded and/or cast off ballast water, and rose. The timers on the mines went off too late. And hence, too high.
[The mines were probably placed under the water line, the ship discharged cargo and the mines came above the water. That made a difference whether the vessel sank or not.]
Yep, I think your guess is correct.
The Iranian economy is totally dependent on the export of oil. There are only two major export terminals from Iran on the Persian Gulf. Those terminals are full of oil that burns in massive tanks, pumps essential to pump the oil and a pipeline infrastructure from the oilfields to the North. All are soft vulnerable targets.
If Iran is wise they really should not piss off Israel. I hope they do.
[We are going to have to go back to the Viet Nam era of patrols throwing grenades over the side.]
That could work.
Does that mean the Allah Divers get 72 Helen Thomas Mermaids?
You can plainly see that the holes are well above the waterline, not under it; the waterline is the red stripe below the holes. If the new assessment is correct, then the mines would have been placed by a boat coming along side the ship - explaining why they were not placed below the waterline. It seems more of a warning than a casualty causing attack. Those holes are too small to admit enough water to sink it - they could have been easily closed by stuffing a mattress or some such in the holes.
The ship is an automobile carrier by the way.
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