US Navy sinks 3 Houthi boats attacking merchant ship in Red Sea, US says

[MarineCombatEngineer]

U.S. Navy helicopters returned fire and and sank three small boats carrying Houthi militants in the Red Sea on Sunday, after U.S. warships responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel, military officials said.

A Maersk container ship, the Singapore-flagged Hangzhou, issued a distress call at about 6:30 a.m. local time, U.S. Central Command said in a statement on Sunday. The merchant vessel said four small boats were attacking it.

"The small boats, originating from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen, fired crew served and small arms weapons at the MAERSK HANGZHOU, getting to within 20 meters of the vessel, and attempted to board the vessel," Central Command said.

Helicopters from two U.S. ships -- the USS Eisenhower and the USS Gravely -- responded and issued verbal calls to the small boats, U.S. officials said

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-navy-sinks-3-houthi-boats-attacking-merchant-ship-in-red-sea-us-says/ar-AA1mgxSg?ocid=hpmsn&cvid=4db46789d97540119253beab2524dfff&ei=86.

I don't know what these Houthi geniuses were thinking, but whatever it was, it was a bad decision to fire on US Navy helos, especially if they were either BlackHawks or Cobra gunships.

They fucked around and found out.

[jimfields33]

1. Thank God we were in the area to save those

innocent Singapore sailors.

[Basic LA]

2. Quick response.

Hadn't realized we had a carrier in the Red Sea.

[paleotn]

3. To say the least, it wasn't pretty.

You just have to shake your head and wonder WTF.

[Igel]

4. Other reports said 4 attacked and 3 were sunk.

Personally, they should have had some asset there that could pursue and sink the 4th.

Then take out whatever dock or port the boats launched from.

But also included were 2 anti-ship missiles. If they were actually anti-ship, you have to wonder why the newly non-terrorist-organization devoted funds and effort to developing such weapons when their opponents fought pretty much only on land--and then ask if perhaps they weren't home-grown but imports. (Obviously from Mongolia, or maybe Bhutan or Zambia or Canada, right?)

[dalton99a]

5. These Houthi assholes could use a little carpet bombing where they live

and where they store their missiles and watercraft