Victory at Sea was a documentary television series about World War II, and about naval warfare in particular. It was broadcast by NBC in the United States during 1952–53. After its initial run, NBC syndicated it to local stations where it ran successfully into the mid-1960’s. It won several Emmy’s as well as a Peabody award.
The series depicted the successes as well as the price of those successes primarily in the South Pacific. Are we seeing the end of victory at sea in the Red Sea?
Fox News is reporting about the loss of a two-seat F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jet that was attached to the USS Harry S Truman aircraft carrier. Apparently, this occurred during the first operation for the carrier strike group since its arrival in the region.
From Fox:
On Saturday night and into Sunday, U.S. warplanes conducted airstrikes that shook Yemen’s capital of Sanaa, which the Houthis have held for a decade. Central Command said the strikes targeted a “missile storage facility” and a “command-and-control facility.”
Houthi-controlled media reported strikes in both Sanaa and around the port city of Hodeida, but did not disclose details on any casualties or damage.
Let’s be reminded that this strike group had arrived in the area after just spending six weeks in the North Sea conducting training exercises. Why mention this? According to official sources, this was a “friendly fire incident.” One presumes that a significant amount of training time is devoted to distinguishing friend from foe.
From Fox:
The F/A-18 shot down had just flown off the deck of the USS Harry S. Truman aircraft carrier, according to Central Command. On Dec. 15, Central Command said the Truman had entered the Mideast, but did not specify that the carrier and its battle group were in the Red Sea.
“The guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg, which is part of the USS Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group, mistakenly fired on and hit the F/A-18,” Central Command said in a statement.
It is unclear how the Gettysburg had mistaked an F/A-18 for an enemy aircraft or missile, particularly since ships in a battle group are linked by radar and radio communication.
It was reported the two occupants of the jet ejected safely and were recovered alive.
Questions that immediately come to mind.
According to the official narrative, this incident occurred during launch operations, “had just flown off the deck.” How far apart are the ships in this battle group? A safe ejection posits the idea that the crew had some warning about the impending missile strike. That would probably be seconds at close range. What form did the warning take? From the Truman? From the Ticonderoga? From their own onboard systems? These vessels are linked by radar and radio comms. Just how did this happen DURING LAUNCH OPERATIONS?
If this happened during launch operations, this is a very telling indictment of US military preparedness.
I am just spitballing here but it seems that it would more likely be that this happened upon the return of the aircraft from its engagement over Yemen if it was a friendly fire incident. Even that idea is hugely disturbing. Just what were they doing in the North Sea? Were no exercises run on identifying friend from foe?
Was this really a friendly fire incident? Mark Wauck notes:
The other possibility, of course, is that the Houthis shot the plane down. That presumes that the US military is lying to us. Is that possible? Likely? Is the pope Catholic? Well, OK, let me put it this way—does the sun rise in the east and set in the west? And how many troops have been in Syria for how long?
For those who may have missed the announcement, the Pentagon admitted last week that some 2000 troops are on the ground in Syria and they did not just arrive there. Of course, there was no involvement in the recent coup to oust Assad (sarc).
Brandon Weichert has a primer and some serious insights.
F/A-18 Super Hornets are the primary fourth-generation warplane utilized by both the US Navy and Marine Corps. In this case, the F/A-18, carries a pilot and a weapons systems officer.
These birds are some of the best in the world. They come equipped with an insane amount of detection and defensive capabilities to avoid being shot down. Systems, such as the AN/ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispenser, for instance, help deflect incoming missiles.
Here’s why the story about a US Navy F/A-18F Super Hornet getting taken down in a friendly fire incident by a US Navy destroyer while engaged in anti-Houthi operations is suspect… 1/ pic.twitter.com/7yaiF6p2yD
— Brandon Weichert (@WeTheBrandon) December 22, 2024
Then there’s subsystems, such as the Multifunctional Information Distribution System (MIDS) and the Joint Helmet Mounted Cueing System (JHMCS) that all help the F/A-18’s crew to have state-of-the-art situational awareness.
Let’s just sum this up by noting there are multiple redundancies in place to avoid friendly fire incidents. Yet, according to our military, such an incident occurred after just having flown off the deck.
I hope that PDJT is paying attention. And I hope that PDJT is getting better intelligence briefings than the swill that the Pentagon is ladling out to the public.