Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision, and requested the Russian ship alter course in accordance with international rules of the road. pic.twitter.com/OGCeAGKOy3
— U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet (@US5thFleet) January 10, 2020
Jan. 11 (UPI) — A Russian warship “aggressively” approached a U.S. destroyer, the USS Farragut, while in the North Arabian Sea, the U.S. military announced Friday.
The interaction took place Thursday and nearly caused a collision between the two vessels.
“While conducting routine operations in the North Arabian Sea, USS Farragut (DDG 99) was aggressively approached by a Russian Navy ship,” the U.S. 5th Fleet said in a Twitter post.
Officials on board the Farragut captured video of the encounter, which shows the Russian ship heading toward the destroyer before veering off to avoid a collision.
“Farragut sounded five short blasts, the international maritime signal for danger of a collision, and requested the Russian ship alter course in accordance with international rules of the road,” the 5th Fleet said.
“While the Russian ship took action, the initial delay in complying with international rules while it was making an aggressive approach increased the risk of collision.
“The U.S. Navy continues to remain vigilant and is trained to act in a professional manner.”
Friday’s was the second near-collision between U.S. and Russian naval assets in the past several months. The USS Chancellorsville, a guided-missile cruiser, came within 50 feet to 100 feet of Russian destroyer the Admiral Vinogradov last June in the Philippine Sea.
The U.S. Navy said the Russian vessel made an “unsafe maneuver” against the Chancellorsville.
