U.S. Submarine Sinks Iranian Frigate Off Sri Lanka with Single Torpedo; 101 Crew Missing
The attack killed or left missing the majority of the roughly 180 crew members aboard the Moudge-class frigate, which had been transiting international waters returning to Iran.
ALERT LEVEL: HIGH
INDIAN OCEAN — A U.S. Navy fast attack submarine sank the Iranian frigate IRIS Dena approximately 40 nautical miles south of Galle, Sri Lanka, on March 4, using a single Mark 48 (Mk-48) heavyweight torpedo, according to the Department of War.
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The attack killed or left missing the majority of the roughly 180 crew members aboard the Moudge-class frigate, which had been transiting international waters returning to Iran after participating in a multinational naval exercise in India.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth confirmed the sinking during a Pentagon briefing, calling it “Quiet Death” and describing it as the first torpedo sinking of an enemy ship since World War II. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Dan Caine was more precise, specifying the weapon as “a single Mk-48 torpedo to achieve immediate effect” and framing it as the first U.S. submarine torpedo kill since 1945.
The last time any nation’s submarine torpedoed and sank a warship was the British sinking of the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano during the Falklands War in 1982, 44 years ago.
Sri Lankan authorities reported receiving a distress call at approximately 6:00 AM local time. The Sri Lankan Navy dispatched two vessels and one aircraft, rescuing 32 survivors who were transported to Karapitiya Teaching Hospital in Galle. Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Vijitha Herath confirmed 180 crew were aboard. As of the latest reporting, 101 remain missing.
The Torpedo Attack
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