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US Navy rescues crew of wrecked cargo ship attacked by Houthis

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Rescue by US Navy
Rescued crew members of the cargo ship M/V Tutor arrive on the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower after a Houthi attack on their ship. (Image credit: US Navy)

24 civilian crew members of a cargo ship that was rammed by an unmanned Houthi surface vessel in the Red Sea were rescued by the US Navy.

The M/V Tutor, a 229-meter-long Liberian-flagged bulk carrier, was attacked by a Houthi unmanned surface vessel while underway in the southern Red Sea on June 12, 2024. The unmanned surface vessel struck the stern of the vessel, causing damage to the engine room and severe flooding. Later that same day, the ship’s crew reported that an unidentified aerial projectile had also struck the vessel.

The incidents were reported to and managed by United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) watchkeepers, who provide an emergency coordination service between civilian seafarers and maritime security forces.

A U.S. Navy MH-60R Seahawk helicopter stationed on the guided missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) was dispatched to assist the crew of the M/V Tutor. 24 sailors were eventually rescued and returned to the cruiser. They were then transferred by helicopters from Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 7 to the aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), which has now been deployed for eight months.

After a medical evaluation on the Eisenhower, which serves as the medical center for its carrier strike group with its 53-bed hospital, the rescued sailors were flown ashore on a C-2A Greyhound carrier onboard delivery (COD) aircraft. One crew member of the M/V Tutor remains missing.

Rescued sailors board a C-2A Greyhound from Fleet Logistics Support Squadron (VRC) 40 on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) in the Red Sea on June 15. (Photo credit: US Navy)

On June 13, 2024, after two missile attacks on the Ukrainian M/V Verbena, a crew member was evacuated with serious injuries, while the rest of the crew managed to extinguish the fires caused by the missile attacks and initially decided to continue the voyage. The following day, the crew sent a distress call, stating that they wanted to abandon ship. A nearby merchant vessel responded to the distress call and rescued all crew members, while the Iranian frigate Jamaran, operating eight nautical miles from the Verbana, did not respond.

The US Central Command statement on the two attacks said: “This ongoing malign and reckless behavior by the Iran-backed Houthis threatens regional stability and puts the lives of sailors in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden at risk. CENTCOM will continue to work with partners to hold the Houthis accountable and weaken their military capabilities.”

Attacks on commercial vessels by the Iran-backed Houthi group, which controls much of western Yemen bordering the Red Sea, have been a constant threat since November 2023. The Hamas-allied Houthis claim that their actions are focused on Israel-linked vessels, although the actual attacks appear to be much more indiscriminate. Some of the ships affected were even carrying cargo for Iran, which is a major source of the weapons used by the group.

A coalition of military forces has been operating at full speed in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since the threat to commercial shipping became apparent. Ships and aircraft have shot down missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles, while counterattacks have been launched on Houthi facilities and equipment suspected of being used for their campaign.

However, this attack is the first successful strike using a USV in the current crisis. These drone boats have been deployed in recent months, but they have either malfunctioned or detonated before reaching their target, or have been intercepted by coalition forces. In the past, the Houthi rebels have already demonstrated their capabilities in this area in a successful attack on the Saudi Arabian frigate Al Madinah in 2017, in which two crew members were killed and three injured.

Weapons of this type are also widely used in the ongoing war in Ukraine. Ukraine has developed USVs such as the Magura V5, which it used to sink the Russian patrol ship Sergey Kotov, and has also developed and deployed novel capabilities that use the unmanned boats to carry anti-aircraft missiles. Aviationist reported on one such capability in May, when a video emerged showing a Russian Kamov Ka-27 helicopter attacking a drone boat equipped with R-73 missiles off the coast of Crimea.

The threat posed by small, maneuverable watercraft has been a concern for many navies for some time. On October 12, 2000, two members of al-Qaeda piloted a small boat loaded with C4 explosives toward the U.S. destroyer USS Cole (DDG 67) in the Yemeni port of Aden and detonated the explosives in a suicide attack. The explosion killed 15 people aboard the Cole and injured 37 others. The U.S. Navy’s threat assessment protocols were reviewed after this attack, and the new Antiterrorism Force Protection Warfare Development Center was established at Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek to develop tactics and equipment to protect against future threats.

In the following years, the ships were upgraded with new Mark 38 MGS Mod 2 25mm guns, which added an electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sight, laser rangefinder and remote control capability to the existing system to provide better defense against small boats. As part of the Block 1B upgrade, an EO/IR system was also developed for the Phalanx Close-range Weapon System (CWIS), expanding its capabilities against surface threats and small UAVs.

Lightweight guided missiles specifically designed for use against small surface and air targets have been tested and deployed by various nations. The US Navy has the Hydra 70-based Advanced Precision Kill Weapons System (APKWS), which can be carried by the MH-60R Seahawk helicopters that always deploy with carrier battle groups. The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom now deploys the Martlet lightweight multi-role missile on its Wildcat helicopters and has tested the missile’s suitability for use on its surface ships by adding additional missile launchers to existing remotely controlled 30mm weapon mounts.

The biggest limiting factor for protecting civilian vessels transiting the Red Sea remains the availability and positioning of coalition warships. While all warships deployed on this mission are theoretically capable of dealing with the threat posed by small USVs and UAVs, given the greater difficulty of detecting them from a distance, many of them lack the ability to extend their protective bubble over as large an area as long-range air defense missiles can against conventional anti-ship missiles. With around 12% of world trade passing through the Red Sea each year and relatively few warships able to be on site at any given time, there will always be gaps in the protective net.

Kai is an aviation enthusiast and freelance photographer and writer based in Cornwall, UK. He holds a BA (Hons) in Press and Editorial Photography from Falmouth University. His photographic work has been featured by a number of nationally and internationally recognised organisations and news publications and in 2022 they self published a book on the history of Cornwall. He is passionate about all aspects of aviation as well as military operations/history, international relations, politics, intelligence and space.

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