http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/17/w...t-off-coast-of-united-arab-emirates.html?_r=1 A 677-foot United States Navy refueling ship in the Persian Gulf opened fire on Monday with a .50-caliber machine gun on what appeared to be a 30-foot sport fishing boat after it ignored repeated warnings to stop, killing a crew member and causing a spike in oil prices that reflected the heightened tensions in the region between Iran and the United States. Connect With Us on Twitter Follow @nytimesworld for international breaking news and headlines. Twitter List: Reporters and Editors The United States Fifth Fleet command in Bahrain said in a statement that the shooting took place near the coast of the United Arab Emirates, a close American ally. The statement did not specify whether there were casualties or identify the nationality of the smaller vessel. But an American defense official said one person was dead, and the official news agency of the United Arab Emirates identified the victim as an Indian fisherman. At least three other Indians aboard were wounded, the agency said. The encounter, which the Fifth Fleet command said was under further investigation, came against a backdrop of increasingly belligerent warnings from Iran against a buildup of naval forces in the area by the United States, which considers the free flow of oil from the Persian Gulf a vital national interest. The tensions have grown this month because of new Western sanctions aimed at stifling Iran’s oil exports. The larger vessel’s response also appeared to reflect heightened awareness of the potential threat of small powerboats piloted by suicide attackers, such as the one that blew a 40-foot hole in the side of the Navy destroyer Cole in October 2000 while it was refueling in the Yemeni port of Aden, killing 17 sailors. The news of the shooting on Monday, along with reports over the weekend that Iran planned to increase its military presence around the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil transit route at the Persian Gulf’s entrance, lifted international oil benchmark prices by as much as $2 a barrel on Monday. The Fifth Fleet said the encounter happened near the Emirates port of Jebel Ali, a docking point for American naval vessels about 30 miles southwest of Dubai. “An embarked security team aboard a U.S. Navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship near Jebel Ali,” Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Fifth Fleet, wrote in an e-mailed statement. “In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the U.S.N.S. Rappahannock used a series of nonlethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force,” he said in the statement. “The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel’s operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a. 50-caliber machine gun.” Lieutenant Raelson did not immediately provide further details. Defense officials said the Navy crew’s efforts to warn away the vessel, which appeared to be a pleasure craft, included firing several warning shots. The Rappahannock is a fleet replenishment oiler, used to refuel other naval vessels at sea. The Web site of the Navy’s Military Sealift Command described it as 677 feet long and 97 feet wide, with a regular crew of 84, of whom 81 are civilian mariners; the embarked security team would be in addition to the regular crew. The Associated Press reported from Dubai that the smaller boat could have been mistaken for a threat in the gulf waters off Dubai, which are not far from Iran’s maritime boundaries. The smaller vessel docked after the episode in a small Dubai port used by fishermen, and dozens of police officers and Emirati officials crowded around it, The A.P. reported, describing the vessel as a white-hulled civilian craft about 30 feet long, powered by three outboard motors. Similar boats are used for fishing in the region. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps also uses relatively small, fast-moving craft in the Persian Gulf. Rick Gladstone reported from New York, and Elisabeth Bumiller from Washington. Clifford Krauss contributed reporting from Houston. -------------------------------------------- Not very fucking bright. When you're told by audio means AS WELL as warning shots that they don't want you approaching, it's awfully hard you didn't understand their meaning. Last time I checked, tracers crossing your bow tend to be a message anyone can understand....
Simple rule if your in a little boat "If its painted grey....stay the fuck away!" That being said, I can see how they would make the mistake of assuming it was a civilian ship, it dosent look much like a military ship A sad incident but they did make the mistake of charging straight towards a military vessel in a region where suicide attacks have occured before.
The USNS Rappahannock, a fuel resupply ship, fired on what the officials called a "small, white pleasure craft." STORY HIGHLIGHTS NEW: The UAE says the dead and wounded were Indian fishermen One person appears to have been killed, U.S. officials say The boat approached too near the USNS Rappahannock, the officials say The shots were intended to disable the boat, they say Washington (CNN) -- A U.S. military supply ship fired Monday at a small boat in the Persian Gulf after it came too close, killing one person on board and wounding three, Defense Department officials said. The USNS Rappahannock, a fuel resupply ship, fired on what two U.S. officials called a "small, white pleasure craft" 10 miles (16 kilometers) from the Dubai port of Jebel Ali. The United Arab Emirates' news agency WAM reported the dead and wounded were Indian fishermen. The small boat appeared to be headed for that port, the officials said, adding that their information was preliminary. The U.S. ship verbally warned the smaller boat when it was 1,200 yards (1,100 meters) away and fired at least one warning shot before the decision was made to fire shots to disable the boat, the officials said. "In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the USNS Rappahannock ... used a series of non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force," the Navy said in a statement. "The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun." Officials described the course of events as standard procedures when a small boat gets too close to a U.S. Navy ship. The officials, who would not be identified because of the sensitivity of the situation, also described the small boat as having made a series of maneuvers, but emphasized they were waiting for more details about what exactly happened. UAE authorities are investigating the incident, WAM quoted Tariq Ahmed Al Haidan, a Foreign Ministry official, as saying. And a UAE source said the Emirates' government would follow up after a review. Jebel Ali is 22 miles (35 kilometers) southwest of Dubai and 37 miles (60 kilometers) north of Abu Dhabi. With 67 berths and extensive dry-dock facilities, it is the largest man-made port in the world and the largest port in the Gulf region and in the Middle East. http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/16/world/meast/persian-gulf-shooting/index.html?hpt=hp_t2 Potential interesting development in the region, or non-event?
Considering the boat received a verbal warning, and an actual warning shot prior to finally getting fired upon for real, I'm wondering if the people on the boat were wanting Darwin Awards or something? were they drunk?
Evidently standard procedure involves warning them off with naval bullhorns, flares and warning shots before firing for effect. If that was the case, I have no sympathy for the people dumb enough to keep coming at them after that. Also, I don't agree that that ship doesn't "look military". Isn't that shade of grey pretty much reserved for military ships? I mean, its the same things as forest camouflage. Even a pick up truck looks military if you paint it that way. Maybe I am just looking through "american" goggles here, but aren't most civilian ships painted brighter colors to increase visibility?
It 'doesn't look military' in that it doesn't have any visible guns on it and basically doesn't look like a destroyer/cruiser or aircraft carrier. A lot of civilians are pretty ignorant when it comes to identifying ships (just like the media calling a frigate a battleship) so I can see how one can mistake it for a civilian vessel. But when said 'civilian' ship fires warning shots and tells you to get the hell away, you do as you're told. These yahoos did not and, ultimately, got what they had coming. But yeah, if it's grey, stay the fuck away.
Even if I was approaching something that's clearly civilian, if it fired flares and warning shots and someone yelled at me to stay the fuck away with a bullhorn I'd not keep coming. That'd take a special kind of stupidity.
The pilot of that small boat was either criminally stupid, blitzed out of their MINDS, or planning something sinister. With that level of warning, including warning SHOTS, there's really no excuse.
Never said they did. But generally when a ship first warns you away repeatedly, launches flares, and then shoots AT you to make you go away, it takes a special kind of dumb to keep going forwards. I don't care if it's the USA, China, Russia, India, or effin' NAMIBIA, if they are a naval warship and they are shooting things to make you go away, you should seriously consider going away. Unless, of course, getting shot is part of your cunning plan. It may be. But it's either a very cunning plan, or a very, very dumb one.
I'm curious as to how the situation is going to develop. From what the article says, the survivors are in custody, so some information has got to come out sooner or later.
I have to say, this shooting seems justified, considering the warnings. What I have to wonder is why the fishing boat would keep coming at the US ship after the warning shots.
Maybe they just thought it was neat and wanted a closer look. They may have had no idea about small civilian ships being used to bomb naval ships. As for why warning shots didn't deter them, that is way harder to answer.
Maybe they panicked and forgot how to steer / stop the boat...unlikely explanation for an unlikely situation.
If It happened at night, chances are they just saw a ship warning them to go away. At night identifying even a Destroyer isn't easy. Ask the Somalians if you don't believe me!
"Bravo one, single salvo, engage." "Single salvo, shoot!" Apparently the survivors are insisting that USNS Rappahannock simply fired without warning, which I find highly suspect.
How much noise do those engines generate? For all we know, their claims that they didn't hear a warning is accurate. What did the refueling ship use to warn the boat off? Bullhorns? Aren't US ships using LRADs now to warn or deter unauthorized vessels from closing in? EDIT: As for tracer rounds being used, unless shots were done on full auto, probably they didn't see it either. Eh, will need to see what the results of the investigation first.
