A Russian Navy ship “aggressively approached” a U.S. Navy ship in the North Arabian Sea on Thursday. The U.S. Navy released a video of a Russian vessel coming right up to the rear of the American ship.
“On Thursday, Jan. 9, while conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea, USS Farragut (DDG 99) was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy ship. Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision, and requested the Russian ship alter course in accordance with international rules of the road,” U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. “The Russian ship initially refused but ultimately altered course and the two ships opened distance from one another. While the Russian ship took action, the initial delay in complying with international rules while it was making an aggressive approach increased the risk of collision.”
“The U.S. Navy continues to remain vigilant and is trained to act in a professional manner. We continue to encourage vessels from all nations to operate in accordance with internationally recognized maritime laws, standards and norms,” the statement said.
Watch the video of the confrontation here:
Here’s another angle:
The 5th Fleet posted a video of the incident to its Twitter page. “On Thursday, Jan. 9, while conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea, USS Farragut (DDG 99) was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy ship,” it said on Twitter. “Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision, and requested the Russian ship alter course in accordance with international rules of the road.”
“The Russian ship initially refused but ultimately altered course and the two ships opened distance from one another,” it said. “While the Russian ship took action, the initial delay in complying with international rules while it was making an aggressive approach increased the risk of collision. The U.S. Navy continues to remain vigilant and is trained to act in a professional manner.”
The 5th Fleet Is Commanded By Vice Admiral James Malloy and Its Headquarters Is In Bahrain
The 5th Fleet is commanded by Vice Admiral James Malloy, who took command on Dec. 7, 2018 after the former commander Vice Admiral Scott Stearney took his life while on duty in Bahrain on Dec. 1, 2018, according to Navy Times. The 5th Fleet is headquartered in Bahrain.
The area of responsibility of the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water area and includes the Arabian Gulf, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, and the Arabian Sea. This includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Strait of Bab al Mandeb at the southern tip of Yemen.
The USS Farragut is based out of Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Fla.