Two British warships, the HMS Cheding Fold and the HMS Bangor, collided while moored in Bahrain on Friday.
According to the British newspaper The Mirror, no crew members were injured in the “embarrassing maritime collision,” but both ships are being inspected for damage.
A high-level naval investigation has been launched into the incident, which could be costly, and how it could happen to two such sensitive ships.
A spokesperson for the Royal Navy said: “We are aware of an incident involving two minehunters in Bahrain. There were no injuries as a result of this incident and it would be inappropriate to comment further while investigations are ongoing.”
The British newspaper noted that both ships are in the Gulf as part of Operation Kipion, which is Britain’s long-term air and maritime presence in the Arabian Gulf and Indian Ocean. The British mission is based in Bahrain.
The Mirror said: “The Royal Navy’s blunder comes at a time when Britain is becoming increasingly involved in a high-seas conflict against the growing threat of Iranian-backed attacks, with the Tehran-backed Yemeni Houthi rebels firing missiles at ships in the Red Sea, and the British destroyer HMS Diamond supporting the U.S. Navy in shooting down the missiles.”
On the morning of Friday, January 12, the U.S. and British forces launched airstrikes on the Yemeni cities of Sanaa, Hodeidah, Taiz, Dhamar, and Sa’ada.
U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said on Thursday that the strikes against the Houthis targeted radar and infrastructure for drones and missiles, adding that “this operation is designed to disrupt and degrade the Houthis’ ability to endanger mariners and threaten international commerce in one of the world’s most important maritime chokepoints.”
NBC News reported, citing U.S. officials, that the U.S. and British forces struck targets in Yemen using Tomahawk cruise missiles from ships.
The sources said that the United States and Britain also bombed Houthi ships and shot down several drones.
