BREAKING:😱 Iran Hit Two US Ships at Once – America’s Combined Air and Naval Response Came in 35 Minutes 😱

The Strait of Hormuz was a scene of chaos as two American ships came under simultaneous attack.

The USS Laboon, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was engaged by Iranian fast attack boats near the strait’s western entrance.

Meanwhile, the USS San Jacinto, a Ticonderoga-class cruiser, was targeted by anti-ship missiles launched from the Iranian coast.

This marked a significant escalation in hostilities, with Iran executing a coordinated attack that caught American planners off guard.

I’m your host at US Defense Review, where we analyze critical military operations and their implications.

What transpired on that fateful day would have consequences measured in American blood.

Iran had meticulously planned this operation, dubbed “Operation Martyr’s Vengeance,” for three months.

It was a response to the cumulative American strikes that had decimated Iranian military infrastructure throughout the summer.

The plan was sophisticated and multi-phased.

Phase one involved a distraction: a swarm of fast attack boats would engage an American warship near the strait’s western approach.

This engagement would be loud, visible, and attention-grabbing, drawing focus away from the main strike.

Phase two was the main assault, where shore-based missile batteries would launch attacks against a second American ship positioned further east.

The goal was to catch American forces with divided attention, making them vulnerable.

Finally, phase three aimed at exploitation; if both attacks succeeded, additional assets like submarines, drones, and more missiles would engage.

The intent was not to win a naval war but to inflict maximum casualties in minimum time.

At 9:11, the USS Laboon detected seven Iranian fast attack boats accelerating toward her position from the north.

These boats were armed with rocket launchers and machine guns, and Commander Michael Torres recognized the threat pattern immediately.

He ordered general quarters and initiated evasive maneuvers, training his 5-inch gun on the lead boat while activating the Phalanx CIWS.

At 9:13, the first Iranian boat fired rockets, and the engagement was on.

However, Commander Torres was unaware that this swarm attack was merely a diversion.

The real threat was still 40 nautical miles away, preparing to launch missiles.

At 9:14, two Noor anti-ship missiles lifted off from a concealed position near Bandar Abbas, targeting the USS San Jacinto.

The San Jacinto was operating at the eastern end of the Strait, providing air defense coverage for a convoy of commercial tankers.

Her crew was monitoring the Laboon’s engagement but did not expect to become targets themselves.

The Noor missiles flew low and fast, skimming the surface at Mach 0.9, with a time to target of approximately 140 seconds.

The San Jacinto detected the missiles at 9:14:47, with her advanced A/SPY-1B radar picking up the contacts at 35 nautical miles.

Captain Jennifer Walsh had only 130 seconds to respond, facing an immediate dilemma.

The San Jacinto was only 40 meters from the Laboon, and standard doctrine called for mutual support between ships under attack.

However, 40 meters was too far for effective mutual support against sea-skimming missiles, forcing each ship to fight alone.

At 9:14:52, Captain Walsh authorized weapons release, launching two SM-2 Block 4 missiles from the San Jacinto’s forward VLS cells.

At the same moment, the Laboon was engaged in a desperate fight for survival.

The Iranian fast attack boats had closed to within 6,000 meters, and although their rockets were inaccurate, their numbers posed a significant threat.

The Laboon’s 5-inch gun fired continuously, taking down the first two Iranian boats with direct hits.

However, five boats remained, spreading out to approach from multiple angles.

The Phalanx CIWS engaged incoming rockets, creating a wall of steel between the ship and the projectiles, successfully destroying or deflecting most of them.

But not all rockets were intercepted.

At 9:15:23, a 107 mm rocket struck the Laboon’s aft superstructure, penetrating the hull and detonating in a berthing compartment.

Three sailors who had just finished their overnight watch were killed instantly: Petty Officer Second Class Maria Santos, Seaman James Wilson, and Seaman Apprentice David Chen.

The Laboon was wounded but continued to fight back, destroying a third Iranian boat with her gun.

Small arms crews engaged a fourth boat that had closed to within 800 meters, effectively neutralizing its crew.

The Iranian boat lost control and crashed into the Laboon’s port side, causing a gash in the hull above the waterline and flooding two compartments.

Despite their losses, the Iranian boats retreated, having achieved their objective of damaging one American ship and killing three sailors.

Meanwhile, 40 miles east, the San Jacinto’s fight was reaching its climax.

The first SM-2 interceptor successfully destroyed the first Noor missile at 9:15:41, but the second missile faced a critical failure.

At 9:15:43, the guidance link for the second SM-2 missile failed due to a software glitch triggered by the simultaneous tracking of multiple high-speed targets.

The system recovered in 0.8 seconds, but that was too long; the missile passed 200 meters behind the Noor missile, which continued on its trajectory.

With time to impact dwindling to 11 seconds, the damaged Noor missile headed straight for the San Jacinto.

The Phalanx CIWS engaged, firing at an astonishing rate of 3,000 rounds per minute.

However, the erratic flight path of the damaged Noor missile allowed it to evade half of the rounds that should have hit it.

At 9:15:53, the Noor struck the San Jacinto, detonating upon impact and opening a massive hole in the hull.

The explosion claimed the lives of seven sailors in adjacent compartments and caused extensive damage, rupturing fuel lines and starting fires.

Captain Walsh acted decisively, ordering damage control teams to the impact zone, counter-flooding to stabilize the ship, and fire crews to contain the blazes.

Then she reported to Fifth Fleet: “San Jacinto hit. Seven KIA confirmed. Multiple wounded. Ship stable but damaged.”

Vice Admiral Richardson received both reports within seconds of each other.

The Laboon’s report indicated three dead and a damaged ship, while the San Jacinto’s report confirmed seven dead and significant damage.

Ten American sailors were now casualties of a coordinated Iranian attack.

Richardson had prepared for this moment, maintaining a strike package on continuous alert since the summer escalation.

At 9:22, he authorized “Operation Hammerfall,” a comprehensive strike plan targeting Iranian military assets.

The primary targets included the fast attack boat base at Busher, the missile battery that fired on the San Jacinto, and the IRGC Navy headquarters at Bandar Abbas.

Secondary targets included additional suspected missile positions, radar installations, and a drone control facility.

The total strike package consisted of eight F/A-18E Super Hornets, four EA-18 Growlers for electronic warfare, 32 Tomahawk missiles from four surface ships, and two B-1B Lancer bombers carrying precision-guided munitions.

At 9:28, the first Tomahawks launched, targeting the Busher Naval Base and the Bandar Abbas missile battery.

At 9:31, the Eisenhower’s aircraft began launching, with the Growlers going first to blind Iranian air defenses.

The Super Hornets followed, loaded with JDAMs and JSOWs.

At 9:38, the B-1Bs reached their launch point, carrying 48 GBU-31 JDAMs aimed at the IRGC Navy headquarters and radar installations.

At 9:49, just 35 minutes after the Iranian attack began, the first American weapons struck their targets.

The Busher Naval Base was hit first, with eight Tomahawks targeting the boat pens where the Iranian fast attack craft were serviced.

Secondary explosions indicated fuel and ammunition storage, leading to the collapse of maintenance facilities.

The timing was deliberate, targeting personnel at their stations rather than while they were sleeping.

Estimated Iranian losses at Busher included 40 to 60 personnel and 12 fast attack boats destroyed in their pens.

Next, the Bandar Abbas missile battery was targeted, with four Tomahawks saturating the area and destroying launcher vehicles and command units.

The crew of approximately 25 was killed in the strike.

However, the Iranians had begun dispersing their assets, making it clear that destroying one battery wouldn’t eliminate the threat.

The FA-18s arrived at 9:52, targeting three suspected missile positions identified by satellite imagery.

Site Alpha was confirmed legitimate, and two JDAMs destroyed it.

Site Bravo was also confirmed legitimate, and two JDAMs took it out.

Site Charlie, however, was a civilian infrastructure project—a water treatment facility under construction.

Two JDAMs struck the site, but fortunately, it was unoccupied at the time, leading to no casualties.

This decision would later attract significant international criticism.

At 9:54, the B-1Bs reached their targets, striking the IRGC Navy headquarters, which was heavily fortified.

However, it was no match for the concentrated fire of 24 GBU-31s, which destroyed the facility and killed an estimated 80 senior officers and their support personnel.

The remaining B-1B munitions targeted radar installations, significantly degrading Iranian coastal defense capabilities.

At 10:07, the last American aircraft cleared the combat zone, and Operation Hammerfall was complete.

Damage assessments revealed the Busher Naval Base was destroyed, the Bandar Abbas missile battery eliminated, and the IRGC Navy headquarters obliterated.

Total Iranian losses were estimated at 250 to 300 personnel, with significant infrastructure damage and a crippled command capability.

On the American side, ten sailors were killed on the Laboon and San Jacinto, and both ships required extensive repairs.

The diplomatic response to the attack was immediate and intense.

Iran called for emergency UN Security Council action, claiming widespread civilian targeting.

They threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz entirely, while Russia demanded an explanation from the U.S.

China called for de-escalation, and several European allies publicly questioned the proportionality of the American response.

The United States defended its strikes as necessary and justified, presenting evidence of Iranian aggression.

The water treatment facility was acknowledged as a mistake, leading to a formal investigation.

The international community debated the actions taken, but the military balance in the Persian Gulf had shifted.

Iran’s ability to conduct coordinated attacks on American ships was severely reduced, with their fast attack boat fleet gutted and command infrastructure shattered.

The entire operation took just 35 minutes from initiation to completion, reshaping the military landscape of the region.

However, the cost was real: ten American families received notifications of their loved ones’ deaths.

The Laboon and San Jacinto limped to Bahrain for repairs, with the San Jacinto requiring nine months in dry dock and the Laboon four months.

Both ships eventually returned to service and resumed operations in the Gulf.

The Iranians began rebuilding, but with greater caution, avoiding another coordinated attack of such scale.

Single ship engagements continued, but nothing matched the intensity of the October 23rd assault.

Whether this restraint would last remained uncertain.

What was clear, however, was that the 35-minute response to Operation Martyr’s Vengeance demonstrated both American capability and resolve.

Attack two ships and suffer devastating retaliation; the message was unmistakable.

The Strait of Hormuz remains the world’s most dangerous waterway, with tensions persisting.

The next engagement could come at any moment.