Dangerous Business

PACIFIC OCEAN (March 17, 2024) The Military Sealift Command fleet replenishment oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) pulls alongside the amphibious assault ship USS Boxer (LHD 4) for a replenishment at sea. Boxer is the flagship of the Boxer Amphibious Ready Group, which is underway with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit (13th MEU) on a deployment to the western Pacific Ocean. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Trevor Welsh/Released)

In case you were wondering, the .50 Cal on the US Navy oiler USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) does work.

An embarked security team aboard a U.S. Navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship near Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates today.

In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) used a series of non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force.

The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun.

The incident is under investigation.

An Oiler in a dangerous part of the world monitoring a threatening approach by a vessel ignoring the warnings of the force protection team on the ship? That wasn't going to end well. It becomes a damned if you do, damned if you don't situation for well trained folks who have seconds to make a decision. Tough call.

We want people who can make the right decision. We don't want people who can't make a tough decision. The investigation will reveal where within those categories this incident falls.

According to local reports in UAE, the incident left 1 dead and 3 wounded.

A bit of a historical note - if you have seen photo's on the internet of the M/V Hyundai Fortune incident, those photos were taken by the crew of the HNLMS De Zeven Provincien (F 802). For that incident, the French Navy aircraft carrier FS Charles De Gaulle (R 91) was where the crew of M/V Hyundai Fortune were evacuated to. The US vessel that responded to that incident was the USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204). As of a few years ago, there were still folks on the ship who remember M/V Hyundai Fortune. I bet they remember that incident today.