The video looks like rest light quality comparable with those videos of Apache helicopters shooting up enemy fighters during the Iraq war. It could have been taken from a drone hovering nearby.
It was not a very large patrol boat with a limited range. It is not likely that she was based in neighboring Oman, The United Arab Emirates, or Saudi Arabia. What remains is Iran which country is in turmoil due to prices that have quadrupled in four years time with the same salaries. There is hunger, frustration and a very large unemployment. Especially the young people are affected by all this and are protesting. The situation is explosive and anything can happen.
It is quite possible that the hard liners, for instance in the Republican Guard, are aiming at an armed conflict against the wishes of the ayatollahs and that this is their way to force the hands of the leadership. Interesting times.
Limpet mines are primarily intended to be placed below the waterline by combat divers where they can cause, despite the rather small charge, considerable damage and flooding. Very effective is to place a mine in the hull area of the engine room which guarantees a quick flooding. On a moving ship the only possibility is to attach them to the hull above the waterline. One limpet mine was placed aft in the engine room area above the water line but that will not sink the ship. Probably a speedboat crept up from behind and alongside out of sight of the wheel house and so attached the two mines. They hope to ignite the cargo or explode the gasses in the tank and so sink the vessel. They were probably in a hurry and forgot to arm the mine. If they are not home brewn these things do not malfunction very easily, all kinds of tests are built in to make them sure fire.
It seems MT Front Altair is at anchor. The damage appears to have been above waterline below the manifold: outer and inner hulls were breached with cargo oil leakage into the double hull and fire. But no oil spill into the sea. I assume fire is extinguished. Solution is to transfer the cargo to another tanker and then to proceed - assisted by a tug? - to a shipyard for repairs (Dubai?).
M/T Kokaku Courageous is proceeding under own power to Fujairah. She is also damaged above waterline but gas tanks are intact. Maybe the above waterline hull damages can be temporarily repaired in order to proceed to discharge port.
I wonder who attacked the ships.
âThere are known unknowns. That is to say, we know there are some things we do not know. But there are also unknown unknowns, the ones we donât know we donât knowâ
Donald Rumsfeld
Feb 12, 2002
Itâs so confusing. Letâs nuke Iran and get it over with.
No, MT Front Altair was taken under tow by the OSV Aquila with the tugboat E Two standing by almost 8 hours ago. Fire was reported out almost 24 hours ago. The tugboat E Two was pictured providing boundary cooling til the cargo burned out, though it was reported as an âIranian Military Vesselâ despite being flagged in the Bahamas. AIS destination for E Two and Aquila is listed as Fujairah. Front Altairâs AIS says that itâs underway using engine, but it also said that when it was on fire after the crew abandoned ship. It also appears sheâs being towed by the stern.
No, sheâs been under tow by the tug Al Wahsh for over a day at this point and is nearly to Fujairah. The Kokakuâs AIS status has been âNot Under Commandâ since shortly after the Al Wahsh showed up on scene after the crew abandoned. MarineTraffic: Global Ship Tracking Intelligence | AIS Marine Traffic
Letâs set the politics of the region aside for a moment and consider the ârescue from the rescuersâ by units of the Iranian navy. If the crew from Front Altair were safely aboard another merchant ship, what kind of dilemma did the Master of Hyundai Dubai face when IRGC boats pulled alongside and offered to âhelpâ?
The crew of Front Altair is safe, relieved to be alive after the explosion, and likely trying to contact their families via Sat C when, oops, sorry boys, there are some people here with guns and a bad look to them who need to see you. The media has given scant coverage to this b.s. while otherwise trying to rile either side of the aisle in the US with âwho did it?â and âwhat is the political angle?â stories and sound bites.
IMHO, the real story is the seizure of rescued mariners by the armed forces of a nation that should probably keep world opinion neutral, at the very least. People are comparing this to the Gulf of Tonkin, but the SS Mayaguez might be the better analogy. Regardless, letâs all hope that crew is on their way home sooner rather than later.
Aside from your rank prejudice, your arrogance and ignorance is astounding!
Maybe if youâd served in the armed forces, you might have a better understanding of WHAT YOU DONâT KNOW about intelligence sensors carried by various types of assets, how they are displayed, and how they were declassified.
One could presume the video was not from a ship, nor from a submarine. One could be reasonably certain that one of our highly technical drones shot the video. It has been reported that Iran shot down, or tried to shoot down one of the drones flying in the area.
And one should presume the video, with concurring other evidence would point correctly to the guilty party.
I havenât seen any news about the KC crew, but the FA crew has and is arriving in Dubai today. Iâm not sure why they split them up on different flights.
Edit to add: Looks like the KC crew spent one night on the Bainbridge and then returned to the KC to assist with the tow to Fujairah:
The Liberty is a great example of treachery by a so called ally. It was Israel, not Iran that attacked our ship and murdered our sailors. We didnât retaliate because it would have jeopardized campaign contributions.
You must have forgotten Operation Ajax; sinking of the Maine; and the Gulf of Tonkin.
I never said LIBERTY was attacked by Iran??? I said I still ârememberâ. That attack still resonates most unpleasantly with me, because it was precipitated by an ally.
I know about the CIA and the Shah. Know about the Maine also. However a team of American naval investigators who concluded in 1976 that the Maine explosion was likely caused by a fire that ignited its ammunition stocks, not by a Spanish mine or act of sabotage [NOTE THE WORD âLIKELYâ], in 1998, History Today was reporting it was a mine. Barring any forensic evidence, the real cause is still unknownâŚ
And after two tours in the GOT, conducting daily and nightly gun raids against NVN & SVN, I am familiar with that region, and the bizarre radar phenomenons. The attack of 02 August happened; the reported attack on the 4th did not. For your continued education, your attention is invited to:
While it may resonate, it is still irrelevant to the subject of wagging tails and propaganda intended to inflame the masses to die for medals, contractor profits, and political advantage.
Canât help you brother. You see this as a USA ruse, irrespective and to the exclusion of other potentials.
Let me ask you this: What if it really is the IRGC? What if SIGINT and/or HUMINT corroborates the video? Are you so subjective that you canât be objective?
