Red Sea. (November 23, 2023): According to the U.S. Central Command, the USS Thomas Hudner and crew shot down multiple attack drones launched from by Iranian-backed Houthi Rebels from Yemen while on patrol this week.
It appears they have picked the wrong fight this time.
In this photo by MC2 Jordan Klineizquierdo, Lieutenant Jr. Grade Caitlyn Thomas, left, and Lieutenant Jr. Grade Michaela Mosley along with Lieutenant Jr. Grade Branson Bitzer stand watch on the bridge aboard the USS Thomas Hudner on patrol in the Red Sea.
On October 8th, Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin directed the Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier group, including the Hudner, Carney, and Roosevelt destroyers into the Mediterranean, a day after the Hamas attacks on Israel. Since then, the Hudner has shot down two sets of drones fired at Israel from Houthi controlled territory in Yemen. The ship and crew sustained no damage or injury, according to the U.S. Central Command. The Houthis have declared their support for Iranian ally Hamas and have also seized a ship purportedly owned by Israeli interests and is holding its crew hostage.
Commissioned in 1 2018, the USS Thomas Hudner is more than a match for whatever the Iranians and their Houthi friends have in mind. With a crew complement of 380 officers and enlisted, the Hudner bristles with the world’s most sophisticated and deadly weaponry. An Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, the ship can fire Tomahawk cruise missiles and the Phalanx and MK series of large caliber anti-aircraft guns and surface to air missiles. The ship has a heliport for its two MH-60R Seahawk helicopters used to conduct armed boardings at sea.
The Houthi rebels have been given a minor demonstration of overwhelming U.S. naval power, a lesson they would do well to keep in mind when thinking of attacking an American warship.
Support Our Troops tips our hat to the talented and resolute crew of the Hudner and all the Sailors and Marines on station in the Middle East during this challenging time.