The unmanned attack vessel packed with explosives could have blown a hole in the hull of Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan. The remote-controlled Blowfish was spotted lurking in the Red Sea by Saudi forces close to HMSDuncan’s route as she sails to protect shipping in the Gulf. Heavily-armed Duncan, which is due to join the frigate HMS Montrose, will be at “action stations” as she sails though the Suez Canal. The US says the Gulf deployments are in response to “heightened Iranian readiness to conduct offensive operations”. The Pentagon added that Washington was “ready to defend US forces and interests in the region” but did not seek conflict.

Source: Daily Mirror July 15, 2019 20:37 UTC