Iranian vessel attempts to blind two US Navy's ships in Strait of Hormuz.

According to information published by the US DoD on December 6, 2022, an Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Navy patrol boat interacted in an unsafe and unprofessional manner as U.S. Navy ships transited the Strait of Hormuz.
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An MH-53E Sea Dragon, from Helicopter Mine Countermeasures Squadron (HM) 15, prepare to land on expeditionary mobile base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller. (Picture source: US DoD)

Expeditionary sea base platform ship USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB 3) and guided-missile destroyer USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) were conducting a routine transit in international waters when the patrol boat approached.

The Iranian vessel attempted to blind the bridge by shining a spotlight and crossed within 150 yards of the U.S. ships – dangerously close, particularly at night.

The U.S. ships safely de-escalated the situation through the employment of audible warnings and non-lethal lasers. U.S. Navy ships continued their transit without further incident.

About the USS Lewis B. Puller

USS Lewis B. Puller (ESB-3), (formerly USNS Lewis B. Puller (T-ESB-3), and (T-MLP-3/T-AFSB-1) prior to that) is the first purposely-built expeditionary mobile base vessel (previously classified as a mobile landing platform, and then as an afloat forward staging base) for the United States Navy.

The overall design of Lewis B. Puller is based on the hull of the civilian Alaska-class oil tanker. Lewis B. Puller will be outfitted with support facilities for her minesweeping, special operations, and other expeditionary missions. An accommodation barge will also be carried to support up to 298 additional mission-related personnel, including special-operations teams.

Lewis B. Puller's aviation facilities include a flight deck with landing spots for four heavy-lift transport CH-53 helicopters, as well as additional deck space for two more CH-53s.

Lewis B. Puller will also have a helicopter hangar, an ordnance storage magazine, underway replenishment facilities, and deck space for mission-related equipment storage, including up to four Mk 105 minesweeping hydrofoil sleds.