{ "archive_path": "archive/1790633229.255803", "base_url": "www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz", "basename": "claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz", "bookmarked_date": "2026-09-28 22:07", "canonical": { "archive_org_path": "https://web.archive.org/web/www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz", "dom_path": "output.html", "favicon_path": "favicon.ico", "git_path": "git/", "google_favicon_path": "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com", "headers_path": "headers.json", "htmltotext_path": "htmltotext.txt", "index_path": "index.html", "media_path": "media/", "mercury_path": "mercury/content.html", "pdf_path": "output.pdf", "readability_path": "readability/content.html", "screenshot_path": "screenshot.png", "singlefile_path": "singlefile.html", "warc_path": "warc/", "wget_path": "www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz.html" }, "domain": "www.twz.com", "extension": "", "hash": "N4V992NFVRTPKZXMBVVD", "history": { "archive_org": [], "dom": [], "favicon": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--output", "favicon.ico", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.google.com/s2/favicons?domain=www.twz.com" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:17:28.915432+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "favicon.ico", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:17:28.249481+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "git": [], "headers": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--head", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:17:29.263797+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "headers.json", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:17:28.921013+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "htmltotext": [], "media": [], "mercury": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/@postlight/parser/cli.js", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" ], "cmd_version": "1.0.0", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:23.024727+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "mercury", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:19.467415+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "pdf": [], "readability": [ { "cmd": [ "/app/node_modules/readability-extractor/readability-extractor", "/tmp/tmpmi7o5qxa", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" ], "cmd_version": "0.0.11", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:19.456758+00:00", "index_texts": [ "On Sunday, NBC News reported that Marines were injured during an Iranian cruise missile attack while transiting the Strait of Hormuz on Sept. 14. The network\u2019s sources said the Marines were not on a U.S. Navy ship, but they did not identify which vessel they were on. However, a former Royal Mail vessel that at one point was being converted into a floating armory stands out as a strong possibility.\n\n\n\nWhile much remains unclear about the Sept. 14 incident, there was only one vessel known to have been struck that day, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) and a maritime security official we spoke with. The ship was eventually identified by several maritime media outlets as the M/V St. Helena. Again, the St. Helena\u2019s involvement remains unconfirmed, but the ship\u2019s interesting background is of particular note. \n\n\n\nThe St Helena logistics ship during the Saudi Arabia on March 30, 2021. (Photo by Colin McMaster/LAT Images for Extreme E) Colin McMaster\n\n\n\n\u201cEight U.S. Marines were injured two weeks ago when an Iranian cruise missile attacked the ship they were operating on in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d NBC reported, citing three U.S. officials. \u201cThe Marines were not seriously injured, but they sustained smoke inhalation and possibly traumatic brain injuries, as they had symptoms of concussions, such as headaches, the officials said.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cThe Marines, seven of them enlisted and one officer, all returned to duty soon after the Sept. 14 attack, the U.S. officials said,\u201d according to the network. \u201cThe officials said the Marines were operating as part of a battalion landing team during the Iranian anti-ship cruise missile attack.\u201d\n\n\n\nTWZ cannot independently confirm that Marines were on board the St. Helena or that they were injured. We reached out to the Pentagon and U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) for more information. The Pentagon referred us to CENTCOM, and CENTCOM declined comment.\n\n\n\nThe incident took place amid an uneasy truce between Iran and the U.S. broken up by sporadic Iranian attacks on ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz. At the same time, the U.S. military is enforcing a blockade on Iranian ships, during which it has struck several for trying to bypass that effort as well as in retaliation for Iranian attacks on shipping. Negotiations between Washington and Iran have ebbed and flowed and U.S. President Donald Trump is once again mulling a choice between continuing talks or renewing large-scale attacks.\n\n\n\nAs we noted earlier in this piece, after the vessel was struck, several maritime industry trade publications identified it as the St. Helena.\n\n\n\n\u201cIran has attacked a historic former British Royal Mail passenger ship in the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d TradeWinds News reported on Sept. 15, a day after the incident. \u201cMaritime security sources identify the 6,800-gt St Helena (built 1989) as the latest vessel to be hit by an \u2018unknown projectile\u2019 in the war-torn waterway. The attack was reported late on Monday, according to UK Maritime Trade Operations, which cited a \u2018verified source\u2019 for the incident without identifying the vessel.\u201d\n\n\n\nAerial view of the St Helena transport ship in the sea off Porto Pino during the Sardinia on July 4, 2022. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/LAT Images for Extreme E) Sam Bagnall\n\n\n\n\u201cUKMTO has received a time late report of an incident within the Strait of Hormuz,\u201d the organization reported on Sept. 15, citing an incident that took place a day earlier. \u201cA verified source has reported that a vessel has been struck by an unknown projectile.\u201d\n\n\n\n\u201cThere is no reported damage or environmental impact,\u201d UKMTO added. \u201cAuthorities are investigating.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAccording to Lloyd\u2019s List, the ship was being operated by the Ambrey maritime security firm at the time it was struck. Ambrey declined to comment.\u00a0\n\n\n\nShipping expert Sal Mercogliano and open-source investigator Tom Bike were among those suggesting the St. Helena could have been the vessel at the heart of the NBC report.\n\n\n\n\n\n\nSo piecing together the evidence it appears that the US may have converted St Helena into a armed merchant cruiser. The Marines looked at putting Armed Guards on board commercial ships three years ago as reported by @USNINews.Add modular/containerized weapon systems,\u2026 https://t.co/48lJ1BDMfs\u2014 Sal Mercogliano (WGOW Shipping) \ud83d\udea2\u2693\ud83d\udc2a\ud83d\ude92\ud83c\udff4\u200d\u2620\ufe0f (@mercoglianos) September 28, 2026\n\n\n\n\n\nExactly what the St. Helena was doing at the time it was struck is unclear; however, the ship has had a very unusual past.\n\n\n\nThe vessel entered into service in 1990 and \u201csailed between Cape Town, South Africa and Saint Helena\u00a0and Ascension Islands, carrying both passengers and cargo, some of which was Royal Mail, earning her the rare RMS designation,\u201d according to Cruise Arabia and Africa.\n\n\n\nThe St. Helena was Britain\u2019s last working postal ship, according to Maritime Executive. After it was retired in 2018 because it was no longer needed for that function, things got really interesting.\n\n\n\nTwo different organizations took over the vessel, including, as we noted earlier in this story, a company that was planning to use it as a floating armory in the Middle East. \n\n\n\n\u201cRenamed MNG Tahiti, the 103-meter (340-foot) ship is being readied by her new owner MNG Maritime to become a floating armory working in the Gulf of Oman,\u201d Maritime Executive wrote on April 22, 2018. \u201cShe will deliver security guards and weapons to vessels sailing through the region and is expected to be operational in her new role in the next few months.\u201d\n\n\n\nIt is unclear what happened to that plan. However, two years later, an off-road racing series called Extreme E said that it \u201csecured exclusive use of the former Royal Mail ship in 2018.\u201d After that, the ship underwent \u201can extensive refurbishment process, which has included total overhaul of steelwork, engines, generators, propellers, interior and cabin space, and more, making it not only fit for purpose, but also as efficient as possible ahead of its new mission.\u201d\u00a0\n\n\n\nAerial view of the St Helena transport ship in the sea off Porto Pino during the Sardinia on July 4, 2022. (Photo by Sam Bagnall/LAT Images for Extreme E) Sam Bagnall\n\n\n\nThe ship was \u201cspecifically designed to transport all the infrastructure and equipment the Extreme E needs for their race weekends,\u201d the organization stated. The plan was to have the ship serve \u201cas its freight and logistics hub due to her versatility and ability to carry and unload a mixture of cargo, like all 10 of the championship\u2019s ODYSSEY 21\u2019s [electric off-road racecar], as well as team members and guests. This was also fit with a Science Laboratory so research can be conducted enroute to the race locations.\u201d\n\n\n\nBoth the St. Helena and MNG Tahiti have the same international shipping identification number of IMO\u00a08716306, according to the MarineTraffic website.\n\n\n\nOn Sept. 17, 2024, the St. Helena was put up for sale, according to Horizon Ship Brokers. The current ownership is unclear. We reached out to Horizon Ship Brokers for more details.\n\n\n\nHorizon Ship Brokers \n\n\n\nLast year, the saga of the St. Helena took a new turn. A company called Terra Nova Expeditions chartered the vessel for Antarctic cruises, but those plans were scrubbed last month because the vessel was stuck in the Persian Gulf and was no longer available for the Antarctic sailing season.\n\n\n\nIt was last tracked via its transponder near Dubai nearly two months ago, according to MarineTraffic.\n\n\n\nWhile we can\u2019t confirm that Marines were onboard when St. Helena was hit, Marines have been training for this exact mission set. USNI News reported in 2023 that a \u201cforce of 100 Marines, newly trained by Navy personnel,\u201d stood ready \u201cto respond, if ordered, to provide armed security aboard foreign commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.\u201d\n\n\n\nThose Marines were members of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) embarked on the three-ship Bataan Amphibious Ready Group (ARG), USNI added at the time. \n\n\n\nIt is unclear if those plans are still in place and if Marines in the region have actually been ordered to provide armed security for foreign vessels sailing through or near the strait. Regardless, Marines could be quickly trained to take on this mission set and have drilled for ship boarding and searches for years, especially special operations and specially-tasked units. CENTCOM declined to comment when we asked if there are U.S. personnel embarking on commercial ships transiting the Strait of Hormuz.\n\n\n\nAt the same time, it is possible that the unique attributes of St. Helena made it a convenient host ship for sea base operations for U.S. forces in the region specifically for this crisis. Adapting commercial vessels for exactly this purpose has a long history around the Strait of Hormuz, as it was a central facet of the Tanker Wars during the 1980s, that saw U.S. forces operate from barges in the region. Today, commercial vessels remarkably similar to St. Helena operate in similar roles, especially in support of special operations and interdiction operations.\n\n\n\nCARIBBEAN SEA \u2013 (Oct. 24, 2021) \u2013 The special mission ship U.S. Motor Vessel Kellie Chouest steams in the Caribbean Sea while participating in a passing exercise (PASSEX), with the Dominican Republic Navy and USS Billings (LCS 15) Oct. 24, 2021. Kellie Chouest is deployed to the U.S. 4th Fleet area of operations to support Joint Interagency Task Force South\u2019s mission, which includes counter-illicit drug trafficking missions in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific. (U.S. Navy photo) Petty Officer 2nd Class Austin C\n\n\n\nOnce again, we have no idea what the ship\u2019s mission was at the time of the incident and if Marines were simply helping it transit safely out of the Persian Gulf or something more, but the attack did expose the fact that individual Marines are more involved with activities in this tumultuous body of water than it may seem.\n\n\n\nContact the author: howard@twz.com." ], "output": "readability", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:17.329830+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "screenshot": [], "singlefile": [], "title": [ { "cmd": [ "curl", "--silent", "--location", "--compressed", "--max-time", "120", "--user-agent", "Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) curl/curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" ], "cmd_version": "curl 8.14.1 (x86_64-pc-linux-gnu)", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:17.325431+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "Claims Swirl Around U.S. Marines Injured Aboard Mystery Vessel Attacked In The Strait Of Hormuz", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:17.277910+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ], "wget": [ { "cmd": [ "wget", "--no-verbose", "--adjust-extension", "--convert-links", "--force-directories", "--span-hosts", "--no-parent", "-e", "robots=off", "--reject=js,mjs,woff,woff2,ttf,otf,eot,mp4,m4v,mov,webm,ogv,mkv,avi,flv", "--timeout=120", "--restrict-file-names=windows", "--page-requisites", "--user-agent=Mozilla/5.0 (Macintosh; Intel Mac OS X 10_15_7) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/118.0.0.0 Safari/537.36 ArchiveBox/0.7.4 (+https://github.com/ArchiveBox/ArchiveBox/) wget/GNU Wget 1.21.3", "--compression=auto", "--timestamping", "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" ], "cmd_version": "GNU Wget 1.21.3", "end_ts": "2026-09-28T22:18:17.272337+00:00", "index_texts": null, "output": "www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz.html", "pwd": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "schema": "ArchiveResult", "start_ts": "2026-09-28T22:17:29.270571+00:00", "status": "succeeded" } ] }, "icons": null, "is_archived": true, "is_static": false, "latest": { "archive_org": null, "dom": null, "favicon": "favicon.ico", "git": null, "media": null, "pdf": null, "screenshot": null, "singlefile": null, "title": "Claims Swirl Around U.S. Marines Injured Aboard Mystery Vessel Attacked In The Strait Of Hormuz", "warc": null, "wget": "www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz.html" }, "link_dir": "/data/archive/1790633229.255803", "newest_archive_date": "2026-09-28T22:18:19.467415+00:00", "num_failures": 0, "num_outputs": 6, "oldest_archive_date": "2026-09-28T22:17:28.249481+00:00", "path": "/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz", "schema": "Link", "scheme": "https", "snapshot_id": "2c40a6b5-a8a6-4648-bb38-8f9954aa5709", "sources": [ "/data/sources/1790633229-import.txt" ], "tags": ",pool,war-wiki,escalation", "tags_str": "pool,war-wiki,escalation", "timestamp": "1790633229.255803", "title": "Claims Swirl Around U.S. Marines Injured Aboard Mystery Vessel Attacked In The Strait Of Hormuz", "updated": "2026-09-28T22:17:28.249225+00:00", "updated_date": "2026-09-28 22:17", "url": "https://www.twz.com/news-features/claims-swirl-around-u-s-marines-injured-aboard-mystery-vessel-attacked-in-the-strait-of-hormuz" }