Naval Incident

The Navy oiler Rappahannock (T-AO 204) today fired a machine gun at a small boat after the vessel ignored warnings to stay away, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a statement. The incident is under investigation.

From the statement:

FIFTH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS - An embarked security team aboard a U.S. Navy vessel fired upon a small motor vessel after it disregarded warnings and rapidly approached the U.S. ship near Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates today.

In accordance with Navy force protection procedures, the sailors on the USNS Rappahannock (T-AO 204) used a series of non-lethal, preplanned responses to warn the vessel before resorting to lethal force.

The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun.