Military

Sailors Battle Motorboat Blaze in Middle Eastern Waters

October 28, 2022Carl Prine
Sailors on board the guided-missile destroyer Nitze battle a motorboat blaze in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 26, 2022. Nitze is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cryton Vandiesal.

Sailors on board the guided-missile destroyer Nitze battle a motorboat blaze in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 26, 2022. Nitze is deployed to the US 5th Fleet area of operations to help ensure maritime security and stability in the Middle East. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cryton Vandiesal.

Sailors from two US warships battled a motorboat blaze on the high seas this week, efforts officials said saved the lives of three mariners.

Personnel from the guided-missile destroyer Nitze and patrol coastal ship Monsoon rushed to rescue the trio after spotting their small craft erupt in flames on Wednesday, Oct. 26, in the Gulf of Aden, roughly 50 nautical miles off the coast of Yemen, according to US Central Command.

“I’m so proud of our sailors for being ready to respond and performing their duty to save lives with the upmost professionalism,” said Capt. Robert Francis, the commander of Bahrain-based Task Force 55, part of the 5th Fleet. “Making a positive difference is what the US Navy’s presence in this region is all about.”

motorboat blaze

The US Navy's guided-missile destroyer Nitze steams toward a motorboat blaze in the Gulf of Aden on Oct. 26, 2022. US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Cryton Vandiesal.

The rescued mariners told sailors they were citizens of Yemen, so commanders transferred them to the Yemen Coast Guard.

An escort for the aircraft carrier George H.W. Bush, the Arleigh Burke-class Nitze departed its homeport at Virginia’s Naval Station Norfolk on July 17.

Its crew continues to conduct counterpiracy, maritime security, humanitarian aid, disaster relief, and crisis response duties in Middle Eastern waters.

Commissioned in 1994, Monsoon is a Cyclone-class coastal patrol ship homeported in Manama, the capital of Bahrain.

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Carl Prine
Carl Prine

Carl Prine is a former senior editor at Coffee or Die Magazine. He has worked at Navy Times, The San Diego Union-Tribune, and Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He served in the Marine Corps and the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. His awards include the Joseph Galloway Award for Distinguished Reporting on the military, a first prize from Investigative Reporters & Editors, and the Combat Infantryman Badge.

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