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Two oil tankers hit in Gulf of Oman

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
And Fester appears to be the winner, mines it is!
Limpets. And above the water line, too.

A few years back, commercial tankers IVO Gulf of Aden were embarking temporary security dets to deter/repel HOA piracy. These were mostly former military (and wannabes/mercs) from Anglophone countries. It was actually cheaper to hire the security teams for short durations than pay the insurer’s (Lloyd’s usually) increased premiums for HOA transit without such security, so a lot of MVs started using them. The security would usually just hop on/off from ship to ship after safe passage, and re-transit back the other way. Ref: Pirate Alley, Task Force 151 by RADM McKnight, USN-Ret.

All of that to say, with Iran using limpet mines above the waterline via FAC/FIAC, if MVs IVO SoH begin embarking private security like they did near Aden, things could get even more sporty.
 

Brett327

Well-Known Member
None
Super Moderator
Contributor
Why were the options torpedo or mine exclusively? Are Captor mines not a thing anymore, or were we the only ones with them? Mine that deploys a torpedo. Have to admit, never saw one let alone train with one.
Loaded a bunch of CAPTOR mines in the 90s. MK-60 is the only air launched version I’m aware of in the US inventory. It is an ASW mine, not an ASUW mine. Perhaps some of them are sitting in an Iranian magazine somewhere next to a few aged-out AIM-54s.
 

RobLyman

- hawk Pilot
pilot
None
I'll put this link up again for the young bucks. You certainly can't blame the Iranians or their proxies for removing the evidence. Last time this sort of thing happened they lost most of their Navy in just a few days.

On mine warfare, this is elementary school level. But still interesting to see what an enemy with an elementary school budget, training and experience will do with the weapons that they have. It's innovation in the same way that the IED is innovation. Some would believe our approach to mine warfare is more sophisticated.

FWIW, a mine is a torpedo. The first torpedoes were stationary, which made them mines by todays definition.
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor

Saudis blame Iran but announce they don’t want war. Not sure how this plays out in the Gulf region. If it’s perceived by Iran as a sign of weakness, it’s not going to deter future aggression. Riyadh has already looked the other way on MRBMs launched from Yemen. How much more will KSA tolerate before they conduct a proportional response?
 

Hair Warrior

Well-Known Member
Contributor
Because when I think of the Saudis and Yemen, I think “proportional response.”
If the neighborhood bully sucker punches you in the face a few times, do you go back after him or do you keep picking on his little cousin down the street?

Yemen’s not proportional because Yemen’s not Iran.
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Heard a little more info yesterday about the goings on here while socializing with peeps and sounded like Romeo and the SWOs did some great work. Still lots of unanswered questions.
 

IKE

Nerd Whirler
pilot
Heard a little more info yesterday about the goings on here while socializing with peeps and sounded like Romeo and the SWOs did some great work. Still lots of unanswered questions.
Solid MTS work. Does ADTS provide lower compression video or was it just that bright of a sky and they were that close (I know the 2nd pic is from a DSLR or similar)?
22310
22311
 

Gatordev

Well-Known Member
pilot
Site Admin
Contributor
Solid MTS work. Does ADTS provide lower compression video or was it just that bright of a sky and they were that close?

Not sure if serious, but there was more going on than just MTS work. But at less than a nautical mile (even with EGI slant error), seems like decent video.
 
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