Operation Prosperity Guardian: The Red Sea Cruise 2023-? But wait there's more! Iran + proxies, FAFO

[FartingMonk 3603]

10 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

So the Ford is wrapping up her first full-length deployment, both as a ship, and as the lead ship of her class, and it's been relatively smooth, and they should be mothballed?

 

What is the function of an aircraft carrier?  To land aircrafts right?  Well 6 years later they aren't any closer to landing an F35C on the Ford yet.  You know that deployment was completely with F/A-18s.  Minimal sorties.  I'll let you guess the reason why.  Newest carrier can't have the newest planes land on it.  How quaint 

[Captainant 26861]

14 minutes ago, FartingMonk said:

What is the function of an aircraft carrier?  To land aircrafts right?  Well 6 years later they aren't any closer to landing an F35C on the Ford yet.  You know that deployment was completely with F/A-18s.  Minimal sorties.  I'll let you guess the reason why.  Newest carrier can't have the newest planes land on it.  How quaint 

I mean do we need 5th Gen stealth fighters to take on Houthi rebels?

[Parliament 13979]

10 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

So the Ford is wrapping up her first full-length deployment, both as a ship, and as the lead ship of her class, and it's been relatively smooth, and they should be mothballed?

 

Fix

Or

Repair

Daily

Edited January 2 by Parliament

[Macanudo 12649]

So what FartingMonk is saying is....   The Ford is falling down on the job?

[B00M 6000]

20 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Iran moved a frigate into the red sea. We sank its sister ship, hope this one gets home and this shit does not escalate.

When did we sink its sister ship? What’d I miss? 

Also, imagine being on board that Iranian frigate staring down like a thousand barrels and knowing you’re going to get dry butt fucked to death if your mission turns into anything but posturing. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19193]

11 minutes ago, B00M said:

When did we sink its sister ship? What’d I miss? 

Also, imagine being on board that Iranian frigate staring down like a thousand barrels and knowing you’re going to get dry butt fucked to death if your mission turns into anything but posturing. 

That might be a quality of life improvement over living on an Iranian frigate. 

[Parliament 13979]

38 minutes ago, B00M said:

When did we sink its sister ship?

During the Persian Gulf kerfuffle in the 1980’s?

[atomheartbevo 88751]

1 hour ago, Parliament said:

Fix

Or

Repair

Daily

Could be worse, could be the USS Fiat

[atomheartbevo 88751]

1 hour ago, B00M said:

When did we sink its sister ship? What’d I miss? 

Also, imagine being on board that Iranian frigate staring down like a thousand barrels and knowing you’re going to get dry butt fucked to death if your mission turns into anything but posturing. 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Praying_Mantis
 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

Maersk suspending shipping through the area

https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/02/business/red-sea-houthi-attacks-maersk/index.html

[YGIFS 19444]

There's got to be a meme in here somewhere of that Suez massive container ship getting wedged trying to leave the Red Sea but the woman driver can't backup properly with all the yelling and bullets flying! 

(yes, I know it's two different bodies of water, but most Americans and most memes aren't exactly geographically astute)

Edited January 3 by YGIFS
Pivot, Linda. PIVOT!

[Viper 11918]

Sternly worded letter time

 

 

 

 

[thunderlounge 7582]

Well that should take care of it. Guess we’re done here, huh?

[NeverMarryAStripper 21765]

So we wrote them a sternly worded note?  Shouldn’t that come after the strenuous objection?

[Pescado_Rojo 19193]

Is this like putting someone on a pip before you fire them?

[InkaUtexas 24823]

Not sure if related to Yemen.

NEW DELHI, Jan 5 (Reuters) - An Indian Navy warship was moving towards a hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel in the Arabian Sea, and aircraft were closely monitoring the situation, the Indian navy said on Friday.

At least 15 Indian crew members were on board the MV Lila Norfolk, which was hijacked near Somalia's coast and the navy received information about it on Thursday evening, Indian news agency ANI, in which Reuters has a minority stake, reported earlier, citing military officials.

https://www.reuters.com/world/india-sends-warship-after-hijacking-liberian-flagged-vessel-arabian-sea-2024-01-05/

[atomheartbevo 88751]

Houthi Attack on International Shipping

On Jan. 9, at approximately 9:15 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthis launched a complex attack of Iranian designed one-way attack UAVs (OWA UAVs), anti-ship cruise missiles, and an anti-ship ballistic missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen into the Southern Red Sea, towards international shipping lanes where dozens of merchant vessels were transiting.

Eighteen OWA UAVs, two anti-ship cruise missiles, and one anti-ship ballistic missile were shot down by a combined effort of F/A-18s from USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Gravely (DDG 107), USS Laboon (DDG 58), USS Mason (DDG 87), and the United Kingdom’s HMS Diamond (D34). This is the 26th Houthi attack on commercial shipping lanes in the Red Sea since Nov. 19. There were no injuries or damage reported.

On Jan. 3, 14 countries, including the U.S, issued a joint statement stating, "The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."

[atomheartbevo 88751]

10JAN2024 Updated map of warships operating in Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Persian Gulf, Arabian Sea.

Updates: JS Akebono (DD-108) and RNO Al Mua’zzar (C-32) conducting / bilateral maritime exercise.

Houthis launched largest attack to date this time they stated that they were deliberately attacking US flagged merchant ships and US warships.

Aircraft from USS Eisenhower (CVN-69) along with USS Gravely (DDG-107) USS Mason (DDG-87) USS Laboon (DDG-58) shot down a total of

• 11x drones
• 2x ASCM
• 1x ASBM

HMS Diamond (D-34) shot down 7x drones.

USS Carney (DDG-64) conducted anti-terrorism drills.

MV Behshad is sailing back and forth in the Red Sea and a east to west pattern.

 

 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

 

Very cool map setup: https://www.scribblemaps.com/maps/view/Boats and Ships/ydAccCQr8M

 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

Iranians have decided they want party like it's 1988.  If somebody wanted a tipping point, this is probably it.  This has the US, Greece, Iraq, and Turkey directly involved.

Iran confirms it is behind the hijacking of the oil tanker MV St Nikolas near Oman today The US-controlled & Greek-operated tanker was carrying 145,000 tonnes of oil from Iraq to Turkey This crisis from the Bab al-Mandeb Strait has been expanded to the Hormuz Strait

Edited January 11 by atomheartbevo

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11486]

seems like we could start with all the little pirate ships as a first step here.  let them know if you're an unflagged b.s. ship and I see you in the area, you're going to the bottom.  at least then we'd be reducing it to the missiles while getting a body count to let them know we're serious.

[atomheartbevo 88751]

Just now, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

seems like we could start with all the little pirate ships as a first step here.  let them know if you're an unflagged b.s. ship and I see you in the area, you're going to the bottom.  at least then we'd be reducing it to the missiles while getting a body count to let them know we're serious.

There's a couple of large Iranian ships (basically cargo ships repurposed as intelligence-gathering ships) in the Red Sea and near the Gulf of Oman that everybody knows are acting as the eyes/ears of the Houthi.

The Iranian hijacking today was of a ship that we confiscated last year after we caught it being used by Iran to get around sanctions, and Iran wants everybody to know that they did this as retaliation to the US.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-01-11/oil-tanker-embroiled-in-us-iran-tensions-is-boarded-off-oman?srnd=premium&sref=E10pTi1i

Not a smooth move on Iran's part though, because it really does open things up to the same stuff we did in the 80s (convoys, clashes) in that part of the world.

[Hate 20037]

I hate this as it’s clear Iran is just baiting us to try to escalate tensions even further in the region, but there is only so much we should take. The Houthis need to have the hammer dropped on them post haste. I wouldn’t wait until one of the missiles gets through and kills a civilian. 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

3 minutes ago, Hate said:

 I wouldn’t wait until one of the missiles gets through and kills a civilian. 

Or our naval ships, now that the Houthis are saying they are targeting American ships (both US Navy and civilian).

[Brisketexan 103148]

22 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

Or our naval ships, now that the Houthis are saying they are targeting American ships (both US Navy and civilian).

Yeah.....I'm pretty much putting a placeholder here for the update post we should see soon: "American and allied forces launch comprehensive raid against multiple Houthi targets."  We have to know where a good chunk of their assets and weaponry are.  Tomahawks and airstrikes should happen pretty soon.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11486]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.....I'm pretty much putting a placeholder here for the update post we should see soon: "American and allied forces launch comprehensive raid against multiple Houthi targets."  We have to know where a good chunk of their assets and weaponry are.  Tomahawks and airstrikes should happen pretty soon.

firing tomahawks into another country is a big deal and very rarely results in a 'well, i guess we deserved it.'  that's why we need to first focus on wiping out anything on water.  effective without guaranteed escalation. 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Yeah.....I'm pretty much putting a placeholder here for the update post we should see soon: "American and allied forces launch comprehensive raid against multiple Houthi targets."  We have to know where a good chunk of their assets and weaponry are.  Tomahawks and airstrikes should happen pretty soon.

UN passed a resolution demanding the Houthis stop yesterday, so that provides a lot of cover for a larger coalition, and we issued a "final" warning last week. We keep moving more Tomahawks into the region (we have something like 550+ cruise missiles in the region now, not counting the US Air Force).

https://apnews.com/article/un-yemen-houthis-shipping-red-sea-resolution-attacks-f26262fe055c8a1e39dee0c3c0d6f7f6

Quote

The U.N. Security Council demanded an immediate halt to attacks by Yemen’s Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea in a resolution adopted Wednesday that implicitly condemned their main weapons supplier -- Iran.

The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, was approved by a vote of 11-0 with four abstentions – Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique.

It condemns “in the strongest terms” at least two dozen attacks carried out by the Houthis on merchant and commercial vessels, which the resolution says are impeding global commerce and undermining navigational freedom.

 

Last week's statement:

https://apnews.com/article/us-israel-hamas-houthis-red-sea-fef8d446852b6eae33d38ffd8f6b2d64

Quote

The United States and 12 allies issued what amounted to a final warning to Houthi rebels on Wednesday to cease their attacks on vessels in the Red Seaor face potential targeted military action. The Yemen-based militants have carried out at least 23 attacks in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza since Dec. 19.

A senior Biden administration official declined to detail rules of possible engagement if the attacks continue, but underscored that the Iranian-backed Houthis should “not anticipate another warning” from the U.S. and its allies.

Quote

The statement was signed by the United States, Australia, Bahrain, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Singapore and the United Kingdom. Separately, the U.S. called on the United Nations Security Council on Wednesday to take action against the Houthis and warned their financier Iran that it has a choice to make about continuing to provide support to the rebels.

“Let our message now be clear: we call for the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews,” the countries said. “The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and free flow of commerce in the region’s critical waterways.”

I don't know how much to make of the below phone call, but the fact that it was publicized means something.

[Brisketexan 103148]

1 minute ago, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

firing tomahawks into another country is a big deal and very rarely results in a 'well, i guess we deserved it.'  that's why we need to first focus on wiping out anything on water.  effective without guaranteed escalation. 

As I understand, the bulk of the drone/missile shots are coming from land-based assets.  Fuck that shit.  Hit them.  Sure, there are small water craft.  Sink those.  But the shots are coming from land.  Take them out.  The escalation ship has sailed -- a hostile force is consistently attacking one of the world's most important sea lanes.  This is what navies do and what they are for, since man was sailing in small wooden ships.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11486]

3 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

The resolution, sponsored by the United States and Japan, was approved by a vote of 11-0 with four abstentions – Russia, China, Algeria and Mozambique.

now why would algeria be okay with state-acting pirates?

[atomheartbevo 88751]

Just now, BehoId, The Underminer! said:

now why would algeria be okay with state-acting pirates?

Because they are following Russia's lead, and Russia is relying on Iran for a whole lot of stuff right now (and Russia loves to see Iran sowing discord amongst various nations/groups).

Quote

In November 2023, In a constantly evolving global geopolitical context, a meeting of crucial importance took place in Algiers, the capital of Algeria, during the 21st session of the Algerian-Russian Joint Intergovernmental Commission. At the heart of this encounter, General Saïd Chanegriha, Chief of Staff of the Algerian People's National Army (ANP), welcomed Dmitri Chugaev, Director of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation Of The Federation Of Russia. This meeting provided an opportunity to discuss military cooperation between the two countries and explore new avenues of collaboration in areas of mutual interest.

It's weird though - you'd think Russia would be trying to rein in Iran right now, rather than Iran continuing down the path it's going and  risk getting Iran's drone and missile factories wiped out.

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11486]

it was rhetorical.

[Brisketexan 103148]

2 minutes ago, atomheartbevo said:

It's weird though - you'd think Russia would be trying to rein in Iran right now, rather than Iran continuing down the path it's going and  risk getting Iran's drone and missile factories wiped out.

Calculated risk, and not a bad calculation.

Russia is getting the upside of costing western powers money and sowing chaos (Russia is the ultimate cockroach -- they can't tote off shit, but they sure mess up everything imaginable).

The likelihood of a comprehensive strike on manufacturing INSIDE Iran, which would be a real-deal massive escalation, remains low.

The juice remains worth the squeeze.

[nineliveslost 2677]

I tell you what. I am surprised they didn't heed our strongly worded tweet. Surprised I tell ya.

[Bevo 13418]

2 hours ago, atomheartbevo said:

On Jan. 3, 14 countries, including the U.S, issued a joint statement stating, "The Houthis will bear the responsibility for the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, or the free flow of commerce in the region's critical waterways."

That is a pretty weak statement.

 

Quote

A senior Biden administration official declined to detail rules of possible engagement if the attacks continue, but underscored that the Iranian-backed Houthis should “not anticipate another warning” from the U.S. and its allies.

A little better...

Edited January 11 by Bevo

[Brisketexan 103148]

Just now, nineliveslost said:

I tell you what. I am surprised they didn't heed our strongly worded tweet. Surprised I tell ya.

The letter was a necessary predicate.  It wasn't intended or expected to yield results.  Rather, it was intended to set a narrative that the Houthis were warned and continued their action, which supports things like the UN resolution and then military action consistent with same.

It's like sending a demand that an opposing party perform under the contract or else they'll be sued.  You don't send it expecting them to see the light and perform.  You send it because it's a legally prerequisite to recovering your attorney's fees in the lawsuit that you're gonna file.

[nineliveslost 2677]

Just now, Brisketexan said:

The letter was a necessary predicate.  It wasn't intended or expected to yield results.  Rather, it was intended to set a narrative that the Houthis were warned and continued their action, which supports things like the UN resolution and then military action consistent with same.

It's like sending a demand that an opposing party perform under the contract or else they'll be sued.  You don't send it expecting them to see the light and perform.  You send it because it's a legally prerequisite to recovering your attorney's fees in the lawsuit that you're gonna file.

[Brisketexan 103148]

4 minutes ago, nineliveslost said:

Be careful, or I shall send you a sternly worded letter.

[Anastasis 23191]

1 hour ago, atomheartbevo said:

The Iranian hijacking today was of a ship that we confiscated last year after we caught it being used by Iran to get around sanctions, and Iran wants everybody to know that they did this as retaliation to the US.

 

[UT_OB1 2193]

If in a full on assault we would mop up Iran, why would they be trying to provoke us?  It makes me afraid they know something we don’t, along the lines of finding out that Super Power Russia wasn’t really that Super. 

[Bevo 13418]

19 minutes ago, UT_OB1 said:

If in a full on assault we would mop up Iran, why would they be trying to provoke us?  It makes me afraid they know something we don’t, along the lines of finding out that Super Power Russia wasn’t really that Super. 

[atomheartbevo 88751]

3 hours ago, UT_OB1 said:

If in a full on assault we would mop up Iran, why would they be trying to provoke us?  It makes me afraid they know something we don’t, along the lines of finding out that Super Power Russia wasn’t really that Super. 

They believe we would confine it to hitting Houthi sites in Yemen and/or ships on the water, and nothing inland in Iran.  Which we would probably confine it to that, even if we armchair generals think they should hit the factories making the drones and missiles that are being used against shipping.

[FartingMonk 3603]

I am beginning to think China is paying them to launch drones just so they can gauge our capabilities.  Also I think our shoot down vehicles are probably 9-10x the cost of them building a drone or cruise missile.  Plus the strain of the ships constantly being on General Quarters.  They are basically just fucking with us at this point.

[Macanudo 12649]

4 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Be careful, or I shall send you a sternly worded letter.

Hunter Biden style?

[Storm the Field 5239]

 

[Viper 11918]

Why isn't there more being said about Saudi Arabia in all this? I thought I read that they were pushing restraint but shouldn't they be all over getting everyone to help them clean up the Houthis in Yemen?

[Schulz2.0 28616]

2 minutes ago, Viper said:

Why isn't there more being said about Saudi Arabia in all this? I thought I read that they were pushing restraint but shouldn't they be all over getting everyone to help them clean up the Houthis in Yemen?

The Saudis don't want to be seen as pro-Israeli. 

[Bevo 13418]

7 minutes ago, Storm the Field said:

 

They’ll never suspect it.

[Gil Bang 25509]

 

[BehoId, The Underminer! 11486]

I kept reading this a Prosperity Garden, which I thought was cool like Market Garden.   

[Parliament 13979]

15 minutes ago, Gil Bang said:

 

Well it's about time.