US Navy helicopters destroyed three Houthi boats and killed the men aboard when they attempted to kidnap a commercial ship in the Red Sea, the first Houthi deaths by US troops since their operations in the busy waterway began in November. According to accounts by American, Maersk, and Houthi officials, the naval battle occurred around 0330 GMT on Sunday as the attackers sought to board the Singapore-flagged Maersk Hangzhou. Helicopters from the USS Eisenhower and USS Gravely joined the ship’s security team in repelling the attackers after receiving a distress call on Sunday morning, said the US military’s Central Command, which is in charge of operations in the Middle East, Central Asia and parts of South Asia. A 20mm Phalanx CIWS weapons defense cannon is mounted on the US Navy destroyer USS Gravely. The US military said on Dec. 31, 2023 the destroyer shot down two anti-ship ballistic missiles fired toward a container ship by Yemen’s Houthi militia in the Red Sea. The helicopters sank three boats, killing their crews, and one escaped after they attempted to shoot down the helicopters after failing to hijack the ship. —AN
