A US Navy destroyer narrowly avoided a disaster Tuesday when it was forced to use its close-in defense system to engage a Houthi anti-ship cruise missile seconds before impact.
The Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Gravely was fired upon while on patrol in the Red Sea. US CENTCOM describes what happened this way.
On Jan. 30, at approximately 11:30 p.m. (Sanaa time), Iranian-backed Houthi militants fired one anti-ship cruise missile from Houthi-controlled areas of Yemen toward the Red Sea. The missile was successfully shot down by USS Gravely (DDG 107). There were no injuries or damage reported.
The real story was a lot more exciting for the crew of the USS Gravely.
The sea-skimming Houthi anti-ship cruise missile came within a mile of the USS Gravely before being engaged by its Phalanx Close-In Weapon System.
As most of the…
