DUBAI, united arab emirates — A U.S. Navy ship opened fire on a small boat racing toward it Monday near the Persian Gulf city of Dubai, killing one person, according to American officials.
Lt. Greg Raelson, a spokesman for the Navy’s Bahrain-based 5th Fleet, said a security team aboard the USNS Rappahannock issued a series of warnings before resorting to lethal force near Dubai’s Jebel Ali port.
“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,” he said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Raelson said the incident is under investigation.
The Rappahannock is an oiler used to fuel other Navy ships while they are at sea.
The United Arab Emirates, which includes the commercial hub of Dubai and the oil-rich capital Abu Dhabi, is a key American ally in the gulf. American warships frequently visit Dubai’s Jebel Ali port, a popular rest stop among U.S. sailors.
A U.S. consular official told The Associated Press that one person was killed and three were wounded in the shooting. The official gave no other details, but it appeared that U.S. personnel could have seen the boat — mistakenly or not — as a threat in gulf waters not far from Iran’s maritime boundaries.
The white-hulled boat was inspected by dozens of police and other Emirati officials after the incident in a small Dubai port used by fishermen and sailors.
The boat appeared to be a civilian vessel about 30 feet long and powered by three outboard motors.
