W*T*H: Did the U.S. Military Turn a Civilian Freighter into an Armed Escort?

In this series from What's Going on With Shipping - What*The*Hormuz (W*T*H) - we investigate reports regarding eight U.S. Marines injured in the Middle East aboard a non-military vessel and connect the dots to an attack on the commercial ship St Helena in the Strait of Hormuz. Did the U.S. military adapt civilian vessels to serve as armed escorts against Iranian drone and small-boat threats? In this episode, we cover: 🚢The Incident: Reports from NBC News detailing concussive injuries and smoke inhalation suffered by eight U.S. Marines (seven enlisted, one officer) aboard a non-U.S. Navy vessel. 🚢The Target: UKMTO and industry reporting on the projectile strike against St Helena—a former Royal Mail ship and floating armory owned by maritime security firm Ambrey. 🚢Naval Armed Guards & Zone Defense: The historical and modern context of deploying Marine detachments aboard commercial vessels to counter drone and piracy threats. 🚢Armed Merchant Cruisers & Offshore Support Vessels (OSVs): Why repurposing low-cost, off-the-shelf commercial vessels could be playing a key role in convoy escort operations. 🚢Oil Flows & Global Impact: The latest tanker tracking data from Kpler showing current Strait of Hormuz crude flows and what it means for global fuel reserves and refinery capacity. Contact What's Going on With Shipping via: Patreon: www.patreon.com/wgowshipping Twitter: @mercoglianos Bluesky: @mercoglianos.bsky.social Facebook: @wgowshipping Email: mercoglianosal@gmail.com Why Does Extreme E Use a Ship? | St Helena | Extreme E https://youtu.be/-HKlZdRaDac?si=NM06LQurJyuBjAok Claims Swirl Around U.S. Marines Injured Aboard Mystery Vessel Attacked In The Strait Of Hormuz https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz U.S. Marines injured in recent Iranian attack https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/national-security/us-marines-injured-recent-iranian-attack-rcna600097?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma&taid=6aba4d66f9c455000167e5c7&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter 100 Marines, Sailors Ready to Ride Commercial Ships in Zone Defense Against Iran https://news.usni.org/2023/08/11/100-marines-sailors-ready-to-ride-commercial-ships-in-zone-defense-against-iran Seasearcher https://www.seasearcher.com/ Ambrey https://ambrey.com/about-us/