<p>Top</a> admiral details U.S.-Iranian encounter - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
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Five Iranian high-speed attack craft accosted a trio of U.S. Navy warships Sunday in the strategically critical Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. 5th Fleet commander said, prompting evasive maneuvers by the U.S. ships and reportedly bringing them close to opening fire.</p>
<p>No one was hurt and the Iranian boats withdrew before any shots were fired, but Pentagon and White House officials stressed Monday that the incident was dangerously provocative in the choke point through which about 20 percent of the worlds oil passes.</p>
<p>The cruiser Port Royal, the destroyer Hopper and the frigate Ingraham were in international waters on their way into the Persian Gulf around 8 a.m. local time Sunday when the Iranian encounter occurred, said Vice Adm. Kevin Cosgriff, speaking to Pentagon reporters via a satellite video uplink Monday afternoon....
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<p>It's a good thing those sailors are such a cool bunch of highly trained professionals. I'm quit a bit more nervous about questionable actions like that and if in command would likely have blown those little speed boats out of the water first, asked questions later. But of course, that's only one of the many reasons why I'm not a naval commander.</p>
<p>Video</a> footage shows Gulf encounter - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
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The Navy has released video footage of the encounter between U.S. warships and Iranian gunboats that occurred in the Persian Gulf on Sunday. The footage, released Tuesday afternoon, includes radio communications between a destroyer sailor and the gunboats, and the chilling warning that the Iranians are coming to you.</p>
<p>In the video, the ships blast their horns and the sailor finally threatens defensive measures as the boats make high-speed runs close to the three Navy ships, which were transiting the Strait of Hormuz....
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<p>Iran</a> airs its own video of Navy incident - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
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Iran aired video Thursday of its boats and U.S. Navy ships in the Persian Gulf in an apparent attempt to show that there was no confrontation between the vessels....
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<p>In case any one was wondering -- Vice Admiral Kevin J. Cosgriff; United States Merchant Marine Academy Class of 1971</p>
<p>Paper</a> links prankster to US-Iran naval incident | WORLD | NEWS | tvnz.co.nz</p>
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Prankster linked to US-Iran incident
Jan 15, 2008 8:00 AM</p>
<p>A radio prankster may have broadcast the threat against US ships that brought the United States and Iran close to confrontation in the Strait of Hormuz last week, a newspaper that covers the US Navy said.
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<p>Nice going, US.</p>
<p>mathwiz, what's your point?</p>
<p>That in the height of a threat situation the US Navy should not have been prepared to counter the threat? That the Navy should have kept the communication embargoed? That the Navy should have ignored it? That we should have destroyed the boats just because we could?</p>
<p>It seems the US Navy's SA was spot on and it acted entirely appropriately.</p>
<p>The proper response is simply, "Thank you."</p>
<p>COs</a> describe radio threat, Gulf encounter - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
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A threatening radio message to U.S. warships may have been a coincidence but was taken seriously because it came at the same time Iranian vessels swarmed the American fleet, the commander of one of the American ships said Sunday.</p>
<p>Cmdr. Jeffery James, of the destroyer Hopper, and Capt. David Adler, of the cruiser Port Royal, would not say how close the Navy was to firing at the Iranian ships on Jan. 6 near Iranian waters in the Strait of Hormuz. But the Iranians knew what they were doing when they charged the three U.S. vessels in the Persian Gulf, they said.</p>
<p>This was not a loose bunch of guys, James said. During this entire time, we were going through our pre-planned responses trying to warn them off before we had to take any lethal action. And fortunately for everyone involved, they turned outbound before we needed to open fire, James said....
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<p>‘Filipino</a> Monkey’ behind threats? - Navy News, opinions, editorials, news from Iraq, photos, reports - Navy Times</p>
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The threatening radio transmission heard at the end of a video showing harassing maneuvers by Iranian patrol boats in the Strait of Hormuz may have come from a locally famous heckler known among ship drivers as the Filipino Monkey.</p>
<p>Since the Jan. 6 incident was announced to the public a day later, the U.S. Navy has said its unclear where the voice came from. In the videotape released by the Pentagon on Jan. 8, the screen goes black at the very end and the voice can be heard, distancing it from the scenes on the water.</p>
<p>We dont know for sure where they came from, said Cmdr. Lydia Robertson, spokeswoman for 5th Fleet in Bahrain. It could have been a shore station....
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