Sweden has boarded a suspected stateless merchant ship.
06.03.2026 18:05
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Sweden has boarded a suspected stateless merchant ship.
One of the notable exceptions and soon now 44 years ago.
One such a moment caught on film was the sinking of HMS Barham.
She blew up 4 minutes after the torpedoes from U-331 hit, taking with her 872 men.
Naval history, especially between 1914 and 1945, saw many such moments.
Since naval warfare after 1945, with a few notable exceptions, have been a rarity, I think many are unaware of the brutality and lethality involved.
A tranquil moment can at the blink of an eye turn into carnage, destruction, suffering and death, the latter in large numbers.
UKMTO WARNING 015-26
...Zhigulevsk returned to Baltiysk area by early evening hours on 5 March, concluding a 20-day mission (14 February-5 March) likely focused on monitoring French Navy aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle
The same applies to interceptor UAVs. They need queuing too.
Air defense requires integrated systems and layers.
This Ukrainian system has been developed- and evolved based on the resources available to them.
Amongst other things, in general, I still see an unused potential for small and medium caliber AAA, with modern fire control, for point defense of high value targets.
On defense against Shahed type UAVs:
There's a lot more to the Ukrainian approach than the small interceptor UAVs by themselves. They have a large organization and a system that has been developed- and evolved over time, based on wartime experiences.
What would be surprising was if the Russians weren't sharing intelligence with Iran.
The same rules apply today as back then.
However, the CO of Graf Spee didn't want his ship to be interned in Montevideo for the duration so he went for scuttling instead.
The Sri Lankans have taken the crew off Bushehr so this is an internment.
The Iranian Navy oiler IRIS Bushehr went for internment in neutral Sri Lanka.
english.newsfirst.lk/2026/03/05/s...
I appreciate a civil discussion so no hard feelings here either.
Observing and commenting on war in this short format often requires separating the many layers of it.
That I think the US sub acted in the best traditions of the service doesn't mean I don't have strong concerns about the lack of strategic thinking involved, nor endorsing going to war itself.
And I am always sympathetic to the plight of civilian merchant mariners caught by war, which also has a legal side.
I am commenting on the actions of the US subs CO and crew, not on the war in general.
Commenting on naval matters is at the core of what I do here, and regardless of what you may think of the Trump admin or the war itself, this was an historic event in the annals of naval warfare.
The legitimacy of the war itself and the legitimacy of the conduct of war are separate issues in international humanitarian law.
This predictably lit a fire so I'll leave the topic now.
If you really care about the legalities of war at sea, do spare a thought for the merchant mariners, civilians of all nationalities, now caught in the war zone and under attack.
What matters in regards to my original post is where they were at the time of the attack.
The Iranian commanding officer could have decided to go to a neutral port and be interned but he didn't do so. He remained at sea in international waters instead.
It's an international armed conflict.
When it comes to the obligations to rescue, it is more nuanced when it comes to submarines. They are not designed to pick up a larger number of survivors.
That Sri Lanka caught on, either picking up a distress call or alternatively being notified or otherwise by the US covers those obligations IMO
IHL talks about international armed conflict , "No formal declaration of war or recognition of the situation is required".
My view, though not a lawyer, is even if the war itself can be considered illegal, military actions consistent with LOAC are not by themselves war crimes.
No.
To address some of the comments, regardless of what it is called and even without any formal declaration of war, regardless of what you think about it, for the purpose of this kind of discussions, we are beyond any doubt seeing an international armed conflict.
I had intended not to comment but:
The US submarine didn't do anything wrong, there was no war crime.
They sank an enemy warship in international waters, and neutral Sri Lanka caught on, rather quickly it seems, and rescued the survivors.
Library photo Russian Navy Northern Fleet tanker “Akademik Pashin” for illustration only. Photograph by kind permission of @Gibdan1
🔺OOA activity - heads up!
Russian Navy Northern Fleet tanker “Akademik Pashin” is assessed a strong candidate for OOA deployment, Spring 2026, & could deploy next 1-4 weeks.
⚠️OPAREA & tasking unknown ATT.
⚠️Possibility of Pr.22350 class (SKR-454/SKR-461) as consort.
Since everyone has been awed by the effects of a heavyweight torpedo today:
This is a good example of why submarines matter and why some countries, relatively, use a lot of funding on them.
Concerning the rise of the PLAN, the USN submarine force is still the big equalizer.
Of course, got lost cramming it into the limitations on the other site.
*disregarding the plight
