On October 1, 2016 the HSV-2 Swift, a proof of concept ship, was severely damaged in a missile attack off the coast of Mokha, Yemen<\/a>. \u00a0A friend of mine served on her while the ship was under the\u00a0US Navy. \u00a0He said she was a fine ship and a delight to sail on, and he has very fond memories of her.<\/p>\n Luckily, the ship has not been under the US flag for several years. \u00a0In 2015 she was leased to the<\/p>\n The ship was attacked by a rebel group called the Houthi<\/a>, who are definitely not in favor of the United States, nor Israel for that matter. \u00a0The Houthi are fighting Saudi Arabia and the Yemen\u00a0government<\/a> for control of Yemen. \u00a0They have a relationship with Iran, and that is probably from where they received the missiles. \u00a0The missile in question was either an Iranian or Chinese version of the C-802<\/a>\u00a0Anti-ship missile.<\/p>\n The Swift was leased from her builder ICAT in 2003. \u00a0She served under the US flag until 2011. \u00a0The Swift and her sisters<\/a> (Joint Venture and Spearhead) were\u00a0proof of concept designs for the US Navy and US Army. \u00a0For her part, the Swift functioned in various roles supporting the US Navy. \u00a0From mine countermeasure support to humanitarian aid, she proved she was versatile and the fastest pickup truck of the fleet. \u00a0The Swift and her sisters were based upon a proven civilian fast car ferry design, which is important to remember as one watches the fire burn within her. \u00a0Would the militarized versions have fared better? \u00a0I’d like to think so.<\/p>\n
| Houthi\u00a0attack<\/td>\n | Iranian news report<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n |