US Guided-Missile Destroyer Assists Stranded Iranian Fishing Boat

The US guided-missile destroyer Nitze assisted three Iranian mariners whose fishing vessel was stranded in the Persian Gulf, the US Navy said in a press release on Monday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — After being alerted to the stranded ship on November 18, the Nitze crew provided the Iranians with a new battery and a case of water, the Navy explained.

"Nitze received notification from aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) (Ike) of a small fishing vessel in distress," the release stated. "Once Nitze's crew identified the distressed vessel, the ship took immediate action to render assistance."

In August, two Iranian naval patrol boats approached within 300 yards of the Nitze while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, an incident the US Central Command deemed unsafe and unprofessional.

Last month, Nitze destroyed radar sites along Yemen’s Red Sea coast in response to reported attacks on the US destroyer Mason by Iran-supported Houthi rebels.

The Nitze is deployed in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, the US coalition operation against the Islamic State terrorist group, and is conducting other maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the US 5th Fleet area of operations, according to the Navy.