Singapore-Denmark Ship “Hit” By Houthi Missile in Red Sea

By Kris Osborn, President, Center for Military Modernization

A missile fired from Houthi-controlled areas in Yemen has struck a Singapore-flagged, Denmark-owned container ship in the Southern Red Sea, prompting a rapid response from two US Navy warships in the area, US Central Command reported Saturday. 

The container ship, called the MAERSK HANGZHOU, called two US patrolling Navy Destroyers for help when coming under attack. 

No injuries were reported and the attacked vessel was considered “seaworthy” after being struck, however a distress call to US Navy destroyers resulted in the destruction of two Houthi-fired anti-ship ballistic missiles.  The USS Gravely (DDG 107) succeeded in intercepting two Houthi-fired anti-ship missiles while responding to a call from Singapore’s container ship.

It is not yet clear just what kind of missile struck the MAERSK HANGZHOU, yet it was apparently followed by additional missile attacks from Houthi-controlled areas.  US Centcom announced that this was the 23rd illegal attack launched on international forces, and cited that the responding Navy ships destroyed two Houthi-fired anti-ship ballistic missiles. 

It is also not clear how far the Houthi-fired missiles traveled or what kind of guidance systems they used while attacking international ships in the Southern Red Sea, yet US Navy warships have been extremely successful tracking and intercepting Houthi weapons.  The Centcom announcement did say the USS Gravely shot down an anti-ship “ballistic” missile, as opposed to an anti-ship “cruise” missile flying lower to the surface, indicating that ship defenses were able to track a “parabola”-like missile flying along a standard “ballistic” trajectory.  As opposed to a cruise missile flying parallel to the surface of the ocean, a ballistic missile is likely a bit easier to “see,” “find” and “track” with ship-based radar. 

However, it would be interesting to learn how far away the Navy ships were when the USS Gravely shot down the Houthi missiles, as it might provide some kind of indication as to which kinds of ship defenses were used.  Should a US Navy carrier have been within range, it is certainly conceivable that an F-18 could have shot down the missiles with some kind of air-to-air weapon, however US Navy destroyers are increasingly armed with upgraded, precision-guided SM-2, SM-6 and SM-3 interceptor weapons firing from Vertical Launch Systems. Whichever defense or countermeasure was used, it does seem clear that US Navy warships in the Red Sea are operating with effective and precise surveillance and target tracking. There are several possibilities for this, as it might be that satellites and drones keeping watch over Houthi-controlled launch areas. If so, it seems likely they are well networked with ship-based fire control and various command and control systems able to receive and maintain a target track or trajectory of an incoming missile.