During the Iraq War, the USS Firebolt (PC-10) had a crew of 30 sailors and tasked with coastal patrol and interdiction surveillance in the Persian Gulf. Twelve years later a new breed of patrol boats have been designed and in service in the Persian Gulf.
According to Safe Boats International, “Riverine boats are vessels specifically designed to operate in littoral and shallow water environments. SAFE's riverine platforms are well known for their survivability and shallow draft capabilities, all while maintaining excellent maneuverability.
The Riverine Command Boat (RCB) is a fully enclosed platform designed to conduct command and control, tactical mobility and fire support operations in hostile riverine and littoral (near-shore) environments. The RCB is powered by twin diesel engines mated to water jets and equipped with key features that include an insertion and extraction bow door, reconfigurable mission space, manned/unmanned weapon mounts, a chemical weapons air filtration system, and optional armor. These design features combined with sea, air and land transportability make the RCB a one-of-a-kind multi-mission platform.
The Mk VI PB is the U.S. Navy’s next generation Patrol Boat and is a part of the Navy Expeditionary Combat Command’s (NECC) fleet of combatant craft. The Mk VI PB’s mission is to provide operational commanders a capability to patrol shallow littoral areas beyond sheltered harbors and bays and into less sheltered open water for the purpose of force protection of friendly and coalition forces and critical infrastructure. The 85-foot Mk VI PB is designed for optimal performance, fuel economy, and firepower. Systems are designed to reduce Total Ownership Cost (TOC), minimize manpower and improve reliability and maintainability. Powered by twin diesel engines and water jets, the Mk VI PB is capable of speeds in excess 30 knots at full load and a range in excess of 600 nautical miles. She has berthing accommodations, galley and head/shower facilities to allow for extended missions. Additionally, the boat can be outfitted with ballistic protection and armed with a variety of crew served and remotely operated weapons.”
“SAFE Boats has designed and built over 125 vessels for the United States Navy. Each boat is built to a multifaceted, complex set of specifications calculated for the specific mission requirement.” Unfortunately, these DoD procured platforms did not allow the crew to outdistance the small speed boats that the Iranians used to overtake and subdue the crew of 5 for each of the two captured Riverine boats. Further, the GPS system was forcibly pulled out of each boat and all of the weaponry of the crew was laid out and displayed on Iranian State TV.
Were the crews told to “stand-down” by either Ash Carter or the President of the US?
Ash Carter, while touring U.S. Central Command which monitored these two Navy Patrol Boats, stated, “This much is clear: There was a navigational error of some kind; all the contributing factors we don’t know yet; and we are still talking to those folks and will find out more what combination of factors led to that navigational error,” “They were clearly out of position that they had intended to be in.”
Vice Admiral Kevin M. Donegan, USN is charge of the Naval Fleet near the Arabian Sea and Army Gen. Joseph Votel, who has headed U.S. Special Operations Command since Aug. 2014, will command CENTCOM upon approval of Congress.Army Lt. Gen. Raymond "Tony" Thomas III will take over for Votel at U.S. Special Operations Command.
Our US Navy’s highly trained and armed warriors appear to have been made into a “JV” team by the lack of the US Navy’s armed response to the Iranian Government and its “rag-tag” Navy. Further, news reports speculated that Vice President Biden and Secretary Kerry did not want to stop the $1.5Bill that the US Congress is giving to Iran. Can the US military expect to see more future “13 Hours?”
