Naval battle of Operation Prosperity Guardian
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On 30 December 2023,
Houthi
forces in the
Gulf of Aden
attacked the
Maersk
commercial vessel
Maersk Hangzhou
. Early the next day, Houthis again attacked the
Maersk Hangzhou
, attempting to
board
the freighter. The
Maersk Hangzhou
made a
distress signal
, to which
U.S. Navy
forces of the
aircraft carrier
USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower
and
destroyer
USS
Gravely
responded. The U.S., along with Maersk security personnel aboard the ship, repelled the attack. The U.S. sank three Houthi vessels, killing ten Houthis. Maersk announced a 48-hour pause on shipping through the Red Sea following the incident.
[1]
Background
[
edit
]
With the start of the
2023 Israel?Hamas war
, the
Houthi
-controlled
Supreme Political Council
declared its support for
Hamas
and began launching airstrikes on commercial ships transiting the
Red Sea
, especially in the
Bab el-Mandeb
, the narrow
strait
that connects the Red Sea to the
Gulf of Aden
.
[5]
While the Houthis initially claimed to be targeting only commercial ships bound for Israeli ports or with some link to Israel,
[6]
they soon began indiscriminately targeting vessels, attempting airstrikes on ships with no discernible Israeli ties.
[6]
[7]
The
Maersk Hangzhou
had previously docked in Haifa, Israel multiple times including most recently in October 2023. However, it was not bound for Israel when it was attacked. Currently, its destination at the time of the attack is unknown.
[8]
To launch attacks on Red Sea shipping, the Houthis use
coastal missile batteries
,
loitering munitions
, and
fast attack craft
armed with light
autocannons
,
machine guns
and
anti-tank missiles
.
[9]
Before the airstrike on the
Maersk Hangzhou
, the United States had shot down Houthi missiles and drones and deployed naval ships to protect Red Sea
shipping lanes
, but had not engaged directly with the Houthis (who act as an
Iranian proxies
).
[10]
The Houthi airstrikes caused
Maersk
, a major international shipping company, to announce on 15 December that its ships would suspend operations through the Red Sea (and then the
Suez Canal
) and instead would transit around the
Cape of Good Hope
.
[5]
[11]
In response to the Houthi airstrikes, the United States government announced
Operation Prosperity Guardian
, a
U.S. Navy
-led multilateral naval operation undertaken by
Combined Task Force 153
to protect shipping.
[12]
With the increase in security provided by Operation Prosperity Guardian, Maersk announced on 29 December 2023, that its shipping operations would resume transiting the Red Sea.
[13]
As an incentive for the crew members of ships making such transits, Maersk announced its crews passing through the Red Sea would receive double pay.
[14]
The MV
Maersk Hangzhou
, a Danish-owned, Singapore-
flagged
ship,
[4]
was one of the first Maersk vessels to transit the Red Sea after the company resumed operations in the area.
[15]
For increased protection, the
Maersk Hangzhou
had aboard a team of armed
private security contractors
as it transited the Red Sea.
[4]
The U.S. also stationed its
Carrier Strike Group 2
in the Red Sea as part of Operation Prosperity Guardian; this
carrier strike group
consisted of the
aircraft carrier
USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower
and its escorting
Arleigh Burke
-class
destroyers
,
USS
Laboon
and
USS
Gravely
.
[16]
In the ten days after the launch of Operation Prosperity Guardian, naval vessels had shot down 17 drones and 4
anti-ship ballistic missiles
, and approximately 1,200 merchant ships traveled through the Red Sea without any drone or missile strikes.
[5]
Engagements
[
edit
]
As the
Maersk Hangzhou
sailed through the Red Sea on 30 December 2023, it received airstrikes by Houthi missile batteries with at least one missile hitting the ship at approximately 8:30 P.M. local time.
[17]
Responding to a
distress call
from the
Maersk Hangzhou
, the U.S. Navy destroyers USS
Laboon
and USS
Gravely
sailed to the scene, and the latter successfully intercepted two
anti-ship ballistic missiles
.
[17]
[4]
The next day, the
Maersk Hangzhou
was approached by four Houthi
skiffs
armed with mounted weapons. At approximately 6:30 A.M. local time (03:30 GMT), the Houthi squadron sailed within 20 meters (66 ft) of the
Maersk Hangzhou
, fired upon the
Maersk Hangzhou
using both
crew-served weapons
and
small arms
, and attempted to
board the ship
and seize it.
[4]
The freighter's security contractors then engaged the Houthis while the freighter again issued a distress call.
[4]
Helicopters from the
Gravely
and the aircraft carrier USS
Dwight D. Eisenhower
were then dispatched to the scene.
[4]
On arriving they were engaged by the Houthi squadron. The American helicopters returned fire, sinking three of the Houthi craft and killing their crews. The fourth Houthi boat managed to escape.
[4]
There was no damage to U.S. personnel or equipment, and no injuries to the crew of the
Maersk Hangzhou
.
[18]
Aftermath
[
edit
]
The
U.S. Central Command
said that the Houthis' assault on the
Maersk Hangzhou
was the 23rd "illegal attack by the Houthis on international shipping" since 19 November 2023.
[15]
The Houthis acknowledged ten of its members were killed in the engagement.
[4]
The
Maersk Hangzhou
was able to continue its journey north to
Port Suez
under its own power. The day after the engagement on the
Maersk Hangzhou
, Maersk announced that it was once again suspending its operations through the Red Sea for at least 48 hours.
[11]
[1]
[16]
On 2 January, Maersk announced that it had "decided to pause all transits through the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden until further notice"; three days later, the company confirmed that "all Maersk vessels due to transit the Red Sea / Gulf of Aden will be diverted south around the
Cape of Good Hope
for the foreseeable future."
[11]
On 4 January, the U.S. and its allies (
Australia
,
Bahrain
,
Belgium
,
Canada
,
Denmark
,
Germany
,
Italy
,
Japan
,
the Netherlands
,
New Zealand
,
Singapore
, and the
UK
) issued a "final warning" to the Houthis in a joint statement, calling for "the immediate end of these illegal attacks and release of unlawfully detained vessels and crews" and stating "The Houthis will bear the responsibility of the consequences should they continue to threaten lives, the global economy, and
free flow of commerce
in the region's critical waterways."
[19]
British Foreign Secretary
David Cameron
, in a telephone call to
Iranian Foreign Minister
Hossein Amir-Abdollahian
, said that the UK held Iran responsible for halting airstrikes on commercial ships in the Red Sea, given Iran's "longstanding support to the Houthis";
Grant Shapps
, the UK's defense minister, said that Britain would consider "direct action" against the Houthis to prevent future "unlawful seizures and attacks" in the Red Sea.
[20]
On 7 January, the Houthis demanded that all commercial ships denounce Israel or face attack; they also vowed more retaliatory attacks against the U.S. Navy.
[21]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
Gronholt-pedersen, Jacob; Elimam, Ahmed (31 December 2023).
"US sinks 3 ships, kills 10 after Houthi Red Sea attack"
.
Reuters
. Retrieved
10 January
2024
.
- ^
Correll, Diana (24 December 2023).
"Ford and Eisenhower carriers will come home, eventually"
.
Navy Times
. Retrieved
31 December
2023
.
- ^
Javeri, Ashka; Soltani, Amin; Moore, Johanna; Mills, Peter; Carl, Nicholas (31 December 2023).
"Iran Update, December 31, 2023"
.
Institute for the Study of War
. Retrieved
1 January
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
i
LaGrone, Sam (31 December 2023).
"U.S. Navy Helo Crews Kill Houthi Assault Boat Teams After Red Sea Attack"
.
USNI News
. Retrieved
17 January
2024
.
- ^
a
b
c
Santana, Rebecca (31 December 2023).
"Houthis show no sign of ending 'reckless' Red Sea attacks as trade traffic picks up, commander says"
.
Associated Press
.
- ^
a
b
Stewart, Phil (4 January 2024).
"Houthi drone boat detonates in Red Sea a day after US warning"
.
Reuters
.
- ^
Diakun, Bridget; Raanan, Tomer (15 December 2023).
"Houthis target tenth ship in Red Sea as attacks turn increasingly indiscriminate"
.
Lloyd's List
.
- ^
"Vessel Maersk Hangzhou IMO: 9784300, Container Ship"
.
shipinfo.net
. Retrieved
19 January
2024
.
- ^
Sutton, H I (13 October 2018).
"Houthi_Navy"
.
Covert Shores
. Retrieved
31 December
2023
.
- ^
Sanger, David; Schmitt, Eric; Shankar, Vivek (31 December 2023).
"U.S. Helicopters Sink 3 Houthi Boats in Red Sea, Pentagon Says"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Maersk Operations through Red Sea / Gulf of Aden"
(Press release). Maersk. 15 December 2023
. Retrieved
10 January
2023
.
- ^
Marabut, Gabrielle (21 December 2023).
"Pentagon Launches Operation Prosperity Guardian to Safeguard Red Sea Shipping"
.
MSN
. Retrieved
31 December
2023
.
- ^
"Danish transport company Maersk to resume shipping via Red Sea"
.
Deutsche Presse-Agentur
. Yahoo News. 28 December 2023
. Retrieved
10 January
2024
.
- ^
Rønnelund, Sofie (30 December 2023).
"Mærsk doubles wages for crew to compensate for Red Sea danger"
.
Scandasia
.
- ^
a
b
Durbin, Adam (31 December 2023).
"US Navy helicopters destroy Houthi boats in Red Sea after attempted hijack"
.
BBC News
.
- ^
a
b
Joffre, Tzvi (31 December 2023).
"UK, US planning strikes as 10 Houthis killed in Red Sea"
.
The Jerusalem Post
.
- ^
a
b
Jones, Sam (31 December 2023).
"US Navy downs missiles in Red Sea after ship attacked by Houthi rebels"
.
The Guardian
.
- ^
"US forces shoot down missiles in Red Sea, kill gunmen in attack by Yemen's Houthi rebels"
.
Associated Press
. 31 December 2023 – via
Politico
.
- ^
Copp, Tara (4 January 2024).
"Houthis launch sea drone to attack ships hours after US, allies issue final warning"
.
Associated Press
.
- ^
"Britain 'considering airstrikes' on Houthi rebels after Red Sea attacks"
.
PA Media
. 31 December 2023
. Retrieved
10 January
2024
– via
The Guardian
.
- ^
"Houthi Leader: Ships Should Renounce Israel or Risk Attack"
.
The Maritime Executive
. 7 January 2024
. Retrieved
9 January
2024
.
Shipwrecks and maritime incidents in 2023
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Shipwrecks
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Other incidents
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Military operations
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