# Two U.S. Navy boats in Iranian custody but crew will be returned ‘promptly’



## cupper (12 Jan 2016)

Breaking News

*Two U.S. Navy boats in Iranian custody but crew will be returned ‘promptly’*

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2016/01/12/iran-captures-two-u-s-navy-boats-but-will-return-crew-soon/?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_checkpoint-iran-430pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory



> Two small U.S. Navy vessels appear to be in Iranian custody, but their crews will be released promptly, the Pentagon confirmed Tuesday.
> 
> Two U.S. naval craft were en route from Kuwait to Bahrain when they disappeared from the Navy’s scopes. The incident marks the latest run-in between Iranian and U.S. crews. In late December, Iranian gunboats fired unguided missiles almost 1,000 yards away from the aircraft carrier the USS Harry S. Truman.
> 
> ...


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## cupper (12 Jan 2016)

NBC News Pentagon Correspondent Steve Handelsman is reporting that one of the boats had a mechanical failure and in the process of trying to get both boats back, drifted into Iranian territorial waters off of Farsi Island in the middle of the gulf. Iranian Coast Guard seized the vessels and Crews.

Sec. of State John Kerry contacted his counterpart in Iran, gave assurances that the violation was unintentional and received assurances that the vessels and crews would be released in international waters in a short period of time.

This will will make things interesting for tonight's State of the Union Speech.


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## tomahawk6 (12 Jan 2016)

Pictures of the craft would be helpful.Maybe the Iranians will show us some images 8)


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## CBH99 (12 Jan 2016)

The website Foxtrot Alpha has some images of what the craft were.

Appear to be very small craft, being transported from Bahrain to Kuwait.

From subsequent reports, it would appear that one of the craft broke down and drifted into Iranian waters near Farsi Island, and the other craft stayed with it.  Although there are conflicting reports that perhaps the vessels were waiting to be refulled, and the ship coming to refuel them missed it's timing.

^All speculation without confirmation, and reports from different sources seems to suggest something different.


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## tomahawk6 (13 Jan 2016)

The two crews have been released along with their craft,which are of the type assigned to Special Boat Squadrons.One of the crew was a female which I suspect was an officer.Perhaps more will come out.Here is ana rticle about the Navy opening the career field to females.

http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/Jun/17/Pentagon-women-combat-seals-riverine/


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## Jarnhamar (13 Jan 2016)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> The two crews have been released along with their craft,which are of the type assigned to Special Boat Squadrons.One of the crew was a female which I suspect was an officer.Perhaps more will come out.Here is ana rticle about the Navy opening the career field to females.
> 
> http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/news/2013/Jun/17/Pentagon-women-combat-seals-riverine/



What do you think, hollywood movie within the next 8 months?


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## Rifleman62 (13 Jan 2016)

For sure a HUGE propaganda movie of US servicemen on their KNEES, with their hands behind their back and the American flag fluttering in the background.

That video will go around the world, and viral in the Mideast to prove the US is weak.

Horrible. Next week or so Iran gets their withheld $150 Billion from the Obama administration back to fund more terrorism.


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## Stoker (13 Jan 2016)

Couldn't one boat tow the other?


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## PuckChaser (13 Jan 2016)

Jarnhamar said:
			
		

> What do you think, hollywood movie within the next 8 months?



They already have a goal date for integration, AKA must-have-women-pass-by date, so I'm surprised the movie isn't already being shot.


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## PanaEng (14 Jan 2016)

PuckChaser said:
			
		

> They already have a goal date for integration, AKA must-have-women-pass-by date, so I'm surprised the movie isn't already being shot.


GI Jane?? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119173/  ahead of it's time...


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## Colin Parkinson (14 Jan 2016)

they were CB-90'


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## jmt18325 (14 Jan 2016)

Chief Stoker said:
			
		

> Couldn't one boat tow the other?



Yes, the whole, drifting story is...a bit far fetched.


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## tomahawk6 (14 Jan 2016)

jmt18325 said:
			
		

> Yes, the whole, drifting story is...a bit far fetched.



There is information that as yet hasnt been released regarding this incident.Just speculating they forgot to bring their tow line or they just wanted some shore time. :camo:


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## CougarKing (15 Jan 2016)

"Mistakenly steered"? So an enlisted Coxswain's career just ended?

Defense News



> Sailors on seized U.S. Navy boats mistakenly steered into Iranian waters
> By David Larter, Meghann Myers and Andrew Tilghman, Navy Times 6:18 p.m. EST January 14, 2016
> US Navy Riverine Command Boats
> 
> ...


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## cupper (15 Jan 2016)

I've heard several explanations from various news sources. Ran out of fuel, mechanical breakdown, faulty navigation gear. 

The only thing that hasn't been brought up yet is stupidity. Never underestimate the ability for humans to do stupid things.

But there is also the actual location and in whose waters were they actually. What kind of limit does Iran claim around Farsi Island? 3 mile, 12 mile, 200 mile or some other limit?


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## cavalryman (15 Jan 2016)

S.M.A. said:
			
		

> "Mistakenly steered"? So an enlisted Coxswain's career just ended?
> 
> Defense News


Maybe he was busy watching porn.   If USN admirals do it... :gottree:


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## Colin Parkinson (15 Jan 2016)

Either there is a reason they are covering up on for OPSEC or the level of incompetence has hit 9.75 out of 10.


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## Rifleman62 (15 Jan 2016)

Cupper:





> I've heard several explanations from various news sources. Ran out of fuel, mechanical breakdown, faulty navigation gear.
> 
> The only thing that hasn't been brought up yet is stupidity. Never underestimate the ability for humans to do stupid things.



You forgot the ROE's the Lt was given when confronted by President Obama's newest ally in the Mideast.

The Lt was a pawn in Obama's legacy.


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## cupper (15 Jan 2016)

Rifleman62 said:
			
		

> Cupper:
> You forgot the ROE's the Lt was given when confronted by President Obama's newest ally in the Mideast.
> 
> The Lt was a pawn in Obama's legacy.



Right. I forgot that one.  :Tin-Foil-Hat:


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## Brad Sallows (16 Jan 2016)

>Either there is a reason they are covering up on for OPSEC or the level of incompetence has hit 9.75 out of 10.

I have read all sorts of articles speculating on reasons why the US is trying to hide their own "mistake".

Another scenario could produce a coverup for diplomatic reasons: there was no mistake and no overt US provocation; the Iranians committed an act of war, and the current US administration doesn't want to escalate tensions but also doesn't want to face domestic blowback for ignoring it.


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## tomahawk6 (17 Jan 2016)

The flip side is that the IRG erred in taking the boats with their crews and the Iranian leadership didnt want to jeapordize the prisoner release that occured yesterday,as well as the ending of sanctions.


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## Colin Parkinson (18 Jan 2016)

It could well be a part of a internal struggle in Iran where certain factions were trying to derail the agreement.


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## The Bread Guy (18 Jan 2016)

Meanwhile, from all the way over in separatist eastern Ukraine, the foil hats come on ...


> A leaked Ministry of Defense report reveals that the Obama administration is “completely destroyed” after their top-secret mission in transporting a top ISIS leader was uncovered and thwarted by Iran.
> Following the Iranian capture of two U.S. Navy Riverine Command Boats last week, intelligence officials in Tehran discovered a plot to transport a “top level” ISIS commander into Syria from Saudi Arabia in order to replace the toppled terrorist leader Zahran Alloush.
> 
> Once this Islamic State terror leader was in route to Kuwait aboard one of the US Navy’s RCB’s, this report continues, an “overwhelming” force of Iranian Sepāh naval troops captured both this terrorist, the US Navy boats (including the American sailors aboard them) transporting him and nearly ignited an all out war when Iranian forces were forced to fire “warning missiles” against the US Navy’s aircraft carrier USS Harry Truman attempting to intervene.
> ...


The pro-Russian separatist media linked here tends to share a LOT of Russian (state) media without editing/question.


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## cupper (18 Jan 2016)

Today's latest clarification from DOD. It still doesn't explain how they ended up in Iranian waters.

*Mechanical Failure Led Boats To Iranian Waters, U.S. Says In New Account*

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/01/18/463471656/mechainical-failure-led-boats-to-iranian-waters-u-s-says-in-new-account



> The United States Central Command is releasing new details about how two American Riverine Command Boats with 10 American sailors ended up in Iranian waters last week.
> 
> According to the account released by CENTCOM on Monday, one of the boats' diesel engines began to have trouble while it traveled from Kuwait to Bahrain. The crew began troubleshooting and the second boat also stopped.
> 
> ...


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## Colin Parkinson (19 Jan 2016)

Gee both boats broke down, neither were aware of their positions, neither bothered to go to action stations or post a lookout to watch for the Iranians, neither bothered to tell the Iranians to piss off while one boat towed the other, someone is lying or a whole whack of incompetent people misplaced their spines.


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## jmt18325 (19 Jan 2016)

Colin P said:
			
		

> Gee both boats broke down, neither were aware of their positions, neither bothered to go to action stations or post a lookout to watch for the Iranians, neither bothered to tell the Iranians to piss off while one boat towed the other, someone is lying or a whole whack of incompetent people misplaced their spines.



Exactly - this story makes absolutely zero sense.


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## tomahawk6 (21 Jan 2016)

The Iranians have an ECW capability that has been grossly underestimated.How likely is it that two boats could lose communications AND GPS at the sametime ? Not likely.Remember a few years ago Iran took control of a drone while it was in flight and landed it in Iran.


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## Colin Parkinson (21 Jan 2016)

You still have radar to give you range and bearing and a depth sounder that can give depths, for those of us that sailed pre-GPS, that was pretty standard practices, you check all your navigation instruments against each other.


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## jmt18325 (21 Jan 2016)

There's almost no question to me that the boats were there completely intentionally, and that they got caught.


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## The Bread Guy (13 May 2016)

Bumped w/the latest ...


> The Navy has fired the commander of the 10 American sailors who wandered into Iranian territorial waters in the Persian Gulf and were captured and held by Iran for about 15 hours.
> 
> In a statement Thursday, the Navy said it had lost confidence in Cmdr. Eric Rasch, who was the executive officer of the squadron that included the 10 sailors at the time of the January incident. He was responsible for the training and readiness of the more than 400 sailors in the unit.
> 
> ...


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## tomahawk6 (13 May 2016)

I think the Commander got a raw deal.


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## jollyjacktar (13 May 2016)

Somebody's head was going to roll.


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## tomahawk6 (13 May 2016)

How about blaming the people who got captured ? Thats where I would start.


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## jollyjacktar (13 May 2016)

Honestly, I can't say who's to blame.  But you just knew that "someone" was going to be made to pay for this fiasco.  Losing face like that always costs someone their career.


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## tomahawk6 (13 May 2016)

You are so right


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