Official: US ship fires on boat off Dubai, 1 dead.

[panzerfaust]

41. 17 Dead: What USS Cole got for showing restraint

"The U.S. crew repeatedly attempted to warn the vessel's operators to turn away from their deliberate approach. When those efforts failed to deter the approaching vessel, the security team on the Rappahannock fired rounds from a .50-caliber machine gun..."

One hopes that the USN is telling the truth this time.

On the other hand, one might recall Iran Air Flight 655 destroyed by the poorly trained, poorly led, and panicked sailors of USS Vincennes killing about 300 civilians.

And, of course, then there was the Second Gulf of Tonkin incident in which two US destroyers - Maddox and Turner Joy - bravely battled and defeated radar ghost images and which LBJ (President Lyndon Johnson (D Tx), for those who are just joining us) used as an excuse for a huge escalation of the Vietnam War.