In response to Iran's blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. Navy has launched its own maritime blockade, targeting vessels bound for or departing from Iranian ports. The U.S. Navy's attention was drawn to the large container ship Touska, which is 294 meters long and 30 meters wide.
An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, the USS Spruance (DDG-111), moved in to intercept it, approaching the vessel at around 4 a.m. on April 19. However, the Touska ignored the American destroyer's demands, even after it fired five warning shots.
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At around 9 a.m., after another demand to stop and a warning to evacuate the engine room, the USS Spruance opened fire with its 127 mm Mark 45 gun, firing nine rounds that struck the engine room and damaged the vessel.
After the ship was hit, the crew began complying with the American destroyer's orders. By 4:00 p.m., the U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) had ordered the Marine Corps to seize the Touska, and they landed on the ship via helicopter.
According to The War Zone, the last known instance of a U.S. Navy ship using its gun to engage another vessel occurred almost exactly 38 years ago, on April 18, 1988, during Operation Praying Mantis.
At the time, the USS Wainwright (CG-28), USS Bagley (FF-1069), and USS Simpson (FFG-56) engaged and destroyed the Iranian Kaman-class patrol ship IRIS Joshan using deck guns and guided missiles, after it ignored three warnings and fired a Harpoon anti-ship missile at the American vessels.
Since then, the U.S. Navy has used deck guns only to destroy small targets such as boats, maritime drones, and unmanned aerial vehicles. In recent years, there have also been instances of other countries' ships using deck guns against manned vessels.
In the context of U.S. Navy operations in the Strait of Hormuz, the service has deployed its high-speed unmanned Global Autonomous Reconnaissance Craft (GARC) in the region for the first time, initially for patrol duties.
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