Iran

[fdr]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf_50

We need to take this comedy show on the road! I set 'em up, you spike 'em.

From the WSJ
It would appear that some success is being had in the counter mine effort, and in the 'confidence building effort for the bean counters at Lloyd's of London' but this is hardly over.
Any ship can take on board and lay mines.
Any ship can be a minesweeper...once.
(A colleague of mine got to experience that on board USS Princeton in the Persian Gulf...)

Spoiler

 

 

On the morning of 18 February 1991, during Operation Desert Storm, Princeton was patrolling 28 nautical miles (52 km) off Failaka Island in the Persian Gulf, on the west side of the decoy United States Marine Corps and naval invasion forces afloat. At exactly 7:15 AM local time two Italian-made MN103 Manta bottom-mounted influence mines detonated, one just under the port rudder and the other just forward of the starboard bow, the second explosion most likely being a sympathetic detonation caused by the first. The blasts cracked the superstructure, buckled three lines in the hull, jammed the port rudder, flooded the #3 switchboard room through chilled water pipe cracks, and damaged the starboard propeller shaft. Three crewmembers were injured, one seriously. Despite the severe damage, the forward weapons and the AEGIS combat system were back online within 15 minutes.

At great peril, the Canadian destroyer HMCS Athabaskan moved north through the minefield to deliver damage-control supplies to the severely damaged Princeton, which remained on station for 31 hours until she was relieved. Princeton's commanding officer, Captain Edward Hontz, specifically requested the assistance of Athabaskan despite the latter not originally assigned to the area. Unlike most ships of her size, Athabaskan could simultaneously operate two large CH-124 Sea King helicopters, which could search out mines for long periods. As a gesture of solidarity, the Athabaskan's helicopters winched over seventeen cases of beer for the crew of the Princeton, since United States Navy vessels were dry.

Princeton, which suffered from a locked starboard propeller shaft and a locked port rudder, was guided through the minefield by the minesweeper Adroit. Temporary repairs were conducted first in Bahrain, and then in the port of Jebel Ali near Dubai by the duty destroyer tender Acadia, and finally in a Dubai drydock. After eight weeks, Princeton returned to the United States under the ship's power for additional repairs. The ship and her crew were awarded the Combat Action Ribbon.

Captain Edward Hontz turned over command to Captain J. Cutler Dawson before moving on to command the Aegis Training Command in Dahlgren, Virginia. Future Chief of Naval Operations, Michael M. Gilday was serving aboard Princeton as an officer during the ordeal, and was awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Valor for his actions.

I had the pleasure of serving under Captain Hontz when he was a destroyer captain.

MCM is going to be under pressure for some time, but I would be concerned with the drone/arty issues. Making out like Somali "marine toll booth attendants" is going to be an irritant to deal with that has the potential to be a maritime ecological disaster along the lines of a 9/11 repurposing.

The only good news on this sorry mess is that there is a big beautiful "I dunnit" flag over the proceedings, a re-run of F-Troop. In all fairness, the Pk of an elegant success would be 99:1 against and that is being optimistic, there's a few more 9's to be added to solutions to the Rubik's cube that is the ME.