Harth 55, harassed the US Coast Guard cutter
Monomoy in the Persian Gulf. On Monday, 13 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) Navy fast-attack boats menaced a formation of six U.S. warships in the Strait of Hormuz. Two of those ships were USCG cutters, the
Maui and the
Wrangell. May 10’s incident prompted the USCGC
Maui to fire 30 warning shots near the IRGC boats. This international incident generated global headlines. It led many to wonder: “What the hell is the Coast Guard doing in the Persian Gulf?”
I was in the USCG from 2016 to 2020. During my service, I thrice deployed overseas. When I told friends and family that I was off to sail around the world, they often gave me puzzled looks and asked the same question: “What is the Coast Guard doing way out there?”