Free Republic

HSV-2 ‘Swift’ in 2013 during her time in American service. U.S. Navy photo The HSV-2 Swift started out as a sleek catamaran and testbed for two new classes of American naval ships until being transferred to the United Arab Emirates in 2014. Now the vessel appears to have been heavily damaged — if not destroyed — in a missile strike fired from Yemeni militants. Houthi fighters claimed to have sunk the ship with a “rocket” as she traversed near the Red Sea port city of Mocha near the Bab Al Mandab Strait early Saturday. “The warship was completely destroyed when it attempted to advance...

A high-speed vessel left Naval Station Ingleside this week on its way to help tsunami disaster relief efforts, base officials said. Fifi Kieschnick, a public affairs officer for Naval Station Ingleside, said High Speed Vessel 2 Swift was deployed Monday to the vicinity of Singapore. Kieschnick said she did not know how many people were on the ship or how long they would be assisting relief efforts.