The Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carrier strike group passed through the Strait of Hormuz on November 26. The US said helicopters from the ship sank three Houthi boats in the Red Sea on the morning of December 31 (Illustration: Stars and Stripes).
According to a statement from CENTCOM, four Houthi boats fired small arms and other weapons at the Maersk Hangzhou at around 6:30 a.m. local time.
When the Houthis were about 20 meters away and trying to board the ship, the Maersk Hangzhou sent out a distress signal. Security personnel on the cargo ship also returned fire at the Houthi fighters, according to CENTCOM.
The statement also said that US helicopters flew to the aid of the cargo ship and warned the Houthi boats. After the enemy opened fire, the US helicopters returned fire, sinking three boats and disabling the crew, CENTCOM said.
The fourth boat then left the area.
The helicopters that rescued the Maersk Hangzhou came from the aircraft carrier USS Dwight Eisenhower and the destroyer USS Gravely. Military officials said there was no damage to the helicopters or crew.
The Maersk Hangzhou is a Singapore-flagged container ship, owned and operated by Denmark.
The incident occurred northwest of Al Hudaydah, Yemen, the official account of the UK Maritime Trade Operations Agency wrote on social network X on the morning of December 31.
The post also said the organization also received information about an attack by small boats on a cargo ship, prompting US warships to respond.
The December 31 clash was the second incident in the past 24 hours involving a cargo ship in the Red Sea.
Earlier, the USS Gravely successfully intercepted two missiles fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen after receiving a distress signal at 8:30 a.m. on December 30, also from the Maersk Hangzhou. The Maersk Hangzhou is believed to have been hit by a missile.
The Houthis - who control northern Yemen and are backed by Iran - said they wanted to attack cargo ships in the Red Sea to show solidarity with Hamas in its war with Israel in Gaza.
The militant group has not mentioned the December 31 incident on account X.
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