US navy fires on boat near Dubai port

[preferred u]

T

he US navy's USNS Rappahannock fired on an approaching small boat after repeated warnings near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali. Photograph: Ho/AFP/Getty Images
The US navy has said a security team aboard one of its ships fired on a small boat after it disregarded warnings and raced toward the vessel near the Dubai port of Jebel Ali.
Lieutenant Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the US navy's Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said sailors aboard the USNS Rappahannock issued a series of warnings before resorting to lethal force using a .50-calibre machine gun.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012...oat-dubai-port

Iranian Navy probing us perhaps ?

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by preferred u

Iranian Navy probing us perhaps ?

Very unlikely. The Rappahannock is just an oiler. What would the Iranians hope to learn from that? More likely an attempt at repeating the USS Cole incident.

John

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Very unlikely. The Rappahannock is just an oiler. What would the Iranians hope to learn from that? More likely an attempt at repeating the USS Cole incident.

John

Or the Tonkin Gulf Incident.

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Or the Tonkin Gulf Incident.

Well, maybe but for that sort of thing to work you need a clear indication of hostile intent. All we have here is a failure to heed instructions. Now, if the boat was loaded with explosives.....


John

[BlueStreak]

Still. When you get too close and the Navy tells you to bugger off.........You'd better pay heed.

[Zeke]

Originally Posted by Boreas

Well, maybe but for that sort of thing to work you need a clear indication of hostile intent. All we have here is a failure to heed instructions. Now, if the boat was loaded with explosives.....


John

Other than a great many historians are not even being sure the Tonkin Gulf incident happened...

[Boreas]

Originally Posted by Zeke

Other than a great many historians are not even being sure the Tonkin Gulf incident happened...

I thought it had been definitely established that it didn't.

John

[piece-itpete]

It's also possible it was an intentional provocation simply to make us look bad.

Pete

[BlueStreak]

Originally Posted by piece-itpete

It's also possible it was an intentional provocation simply to make us look bad.

Pete

Part of the Vast Left-wing Conspiracy, Hillary ordered them to do it through Obamas Islamist connections.

Dave

[piece-itpete]

I knew it! Darn him to heck.

Pete