OT: US Navy ship attacked twice this week

Submitted by StephenRKass on

This week, for the first time in history, a US Navy Destroyer, DDG87, the Mason, was attacked with ballistic missiles. They were fired by Houthi rebels from a land-based site in Yemen. The first attack of two missiles took place around noon ET Sunday, the second attack with two more missiles took place today. I know that there was at least one hard kill (incoming attacking missile taken out with a countermeasure defensive missile from the Mason.) The ship continues under heightened alert as it patrols the Red Sea. The Pentagon has vowed retaliation, and this has been confirmed. There are two other ships in the area:  Destroyer USS Nitze and US Ponce, a ship that transports special forces.

This post is completely offtopic to the board . . . but is relevant to me because my daughter is an Aegis Computer Network Technician on this ship. Her job is to maintain and repair the network of computers controlling the Aegis Radar and Missile weapons system. That is precisely what protected the ship. My daughter wrote via FB, "We heard (the code for) "incoming missile attack, all hands stand by." She then added, "I just can't describe the feeling of knowing you could all possibly die in a matter of seconds."

Retaliation was planned prior to this morning's attack. With this second missile launch, a military response is virtually dictated from the US Navy. Follow the story, if of interest to you.

Now, back to our regularly programmed wife day and football posts.

EDIT:  latest news from Washington Post as of 11:15pm EST, Wed. Oct. 12:  Navy launches Tomahawk Missiles at Rebel Sites in Yemen after attacks on U.S. Ships.

According to the article 3 remote radar sites on the Yemen coast were hit by US missiles launched from the USS Nitze. This is close to real time:  the missiles were launched about 4am local time Thurs. morning (8pm EST Wed. night). It appears they were specifically not targeting any heavily populated area.

EDIT 2:  FTR, all information in this post came from public media sources (with the exception of my daughter's personal emotions when under attack.) Do a Google News Search on "USS Mason" to find dozens of news sources.

Michwolverinefreak

October 12th, 2016 at 11:04 PM ^

It's fantastic that your daughters ok, I know she'll be fine. The US should never lose to opponents who basically use the equivalent of bottle rockets to pick fights with a war machine. Which begs to question, can we please not drop a trillion dollars just because somebody tried to shoot somebody else 5000 miles away? Our freedom has not been in danger in any way, shape or form by a foreign power since Russia threatened to press the button.
i disagree with the notion that the military is fighting for my freedom. The only case where that would be true is if we faced an ACTUAL existential crisis, and people fail to realize that 20,000 person rebel groups dressed up in rags- who don't even have aircraft- are not a threat to our country. Our responses threaten our freedom- see the patriot act. Somebody else's freedom is on the line though, definitely.

HHW

October 12th, 2016 at 11:17 PM ^

I hope your degree isn't in Political Science or Maritime Law for that matter. A ship operating in international waters has the right to freedom of navigation. It is an inherent right to all nations for trade. Let these groups "dressed in rags" shutdown a major trade route? Imagine the consequences...




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

Michwolverinefreak

October 13th, 2016 at 1:07 AM ^

You're not exactly giving me any hints. Here's a relevant historical fact though: gavrilo princip shoots franz Ferdinand, a bunch of governments overreact, millions of people die and nations are destroyed. We shouldn't overreact to this.
As for the oil thing, the trillion dollars I was referring too wasn't hyperbole. We dropped more than a trillion on Iraq as well as Afghanistan. If we secured an important trade route with public funds, it would most likely be profitable for us. It also probably wouldn't cost more than a billion dollars. I wasn't suggesting we completely ignore it, just that we don't throw away another trillion dollars bombing Yemen.

HHW

October 12th, 2016 at 11:12 PM ^

I was a Weapons/Combat Systems Officer on a ship of that class a few years back, operating in that exact area. I can tell you they are a well trained crew with the most advanced defensive and offensive weapons systems in the world. The way we operate in that region, they are more than capable of taking care of themselves. Your daughter is going get a significant boost if gratification when they launch there retaliation strike. Of course, this may have to come under the guise of a self defense determination by the Captain considering we are currently in a lame duck situation until January.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

StephenRKass

October 12th, 2016 at 11:48 PM ^

I definitely agree fully with OPSEC concerns. I don't want her to put anything out there that compromises her, or the ship, in any way. We never talk about ship movements, future actions, etc. etc. Anything posted comes from articles easily found via a Google News search. Nothing (other than what it felt like personally when under attack) was revealed by her, which is as it should be.

Keel

October 12th, 2016 at 11:31 PM ^

Media outlets covering news and personal accounts on social media are completely different. Ass. Sharing this kind of shit on fb gets family and people connected to the unit in to a fuss and causes fear for their families, and then people want details. They ask for details and what are they going to do next, where will they go when will they do it. And some idiots will tell them if they know. No more than 10 months ago I was on an LHD in the Middle East when we had an aviation class A mishap on the flight deck, scariest moment of my life. It was a scary day, it was reported on the news by many different news station but what you won't find are posts on fb of our personal accounts/reactions of that day. It's about more than you think, it's also about keeping the hearts and minds of the families it could affect at ease until their is actually something to report. This thread has no business in this board. Save your stories for when your home...not when the shit is hitting the fan...




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

FA_Wolverine

October 12th, 2016 at 11:48 PM ^

My point is, that all of this information (what ship, when, etc) has been aired for a while. Seeing as you were an officer I'm surprised by the lack of tact you have. Just saying. I know OPSEC and understand its importance. She could have posted this well after the fact, but we don't know that. So ease back a bit and try not to be a dick.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

StephenRKass

October 13th, 2016 at 12:13 AM ^

I'm extremely aware of OPSEC. All information posted came from public media sources. Sorry I didn't provide links to articles. If you do a simple Google News Search on "USS Mason," you can find all the links yourself. The exception as to info shared by my daughter was what it felt like for her personally when they knew they were under attack. I never ask and don't want to know of ship movements yesterday, today, or tomorrow. I don't know and I don't want to know the ship's missile payload. I don't want her to ever put up any classified info. And FTR, even when we chat, it is never in a public forum. I appreciate and agree with OPSEC concerns.

FA_Wolverine

October 13th, 2016 at 12:53 AM ^

Understood. Looking back I'm not sure why I put that but it seemed a little funny to me. From your previous post you placed your job title and it said officer at the end. Fair to say I don't know my naval ranks. Just so you know, I'm not ass hurt or anything like that. Just seeking a civil discussion cause it didn't strike me as OPSEC. Go Blue, brother.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

superstringer

October 12th, 2016 at 11:21 PM ^

I always think the safest place to be on the planet is on a US Navy ship. They can see almost all threats coming at them from hundreds of miles away, very few weapons can successfully get at them, amd they have the firepower to basically kick anyone's ass a thousand tumes over. I suppose today is the one time when for a fleeting moment it might not seem like the safest place to be.

That said, what kind of moron rebel thinks that firing at the US Navy is a good idea. Not far removed from UBL's disasterous thought that 9-11 would scare fragile Americans into pulling out of the Middle East and specifically Saudi Arabia. Just piss-poor planning there, Houti rebels.




Sent from MGoBlog HD for iPhone & iPad

ats

October 13th, 2016 at 2:46 AM ^

Just an FYI, as far as I've seen, all the weapons incoming have been subsonic.  The only thing supersonic have been the countermeasures (SM-2/ESSM).  Both the C70x and C80x are subsonic AShM.

Cromulent

October 12th, 2016 at 11:27 PM ^

"They were fired by Houthi rebels from a land-based site in Yemen."

That sentence is missing something.

"They were fired by Iranian-backed Houthi rebels from a land-based site in Yemen."

There, that's better.