Iranian Speed Boat Swarm Harasses American Naval Ships At Very Close Range In Persian Gulf

The U.S. Navy has released video and pictures of Iranian speedboat-type craft harassing its ships, including the expeditionary sea base USS Lewis B. Puller, as well as vessels from the U.S. Coast Guard, in the Persian Gulf. Approximately 11 of the watercraft, belonging to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy, swarmed the group of vessels, which were training with U.S. Army AH-64E Apache attack helicopters at the time.

The incident took place on Apr. 15, 2020 in international waters, according to a statement from U.S. Naval Forces Central Command, or NAVCENT. In addition to Puller, the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Paul Hamilton, the Cyclone class patrol craft USS Firebolt and USS Sirocco, and the Island class patrol cutters USCGC Wrangell and USCGC Maui were also on the scene at the time.

"The IRGCN [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy] vessels repeatedly crossed the bows and sterns of the U.S. vessels at extremely close range and high speeds, including multiple crossings of the Puller with a 50 yard closest point of approach (CPA) and within 10 yards of Maui's bow," according to NACVENT's statement. "The U.S. crews issued multiple warnings via bridge-to-bridge radio, five short blasts from the ships' horns and long-range acoustic noise maker devices, but received no response from the IRGCN." -Full Report

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