Video here and above courtesy Warships & Warriors, uploaded March 5, 2026.
---
On March 5, 2026 it was reported the torpedo that struck an Iranian frigate, IRIS Dena, was fired by USS Charlotte (SSN-766) a Los Angeles-class attack submarine, multiple US officials told CBS News on March 5. USS Charlotte reportedly fired two MK 48 torpedoes at IRIS Dena, the officials said. The first one missed, but the second one sank the Dena. This was in the Indian Ocean just south of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan sailors rescued 32 Iranian sailors from the commissioned in 2021 Moudge class frigate IRIS Dena. About 80 Iranian sailors may have been killed. This is the first known attack by an American submarine on a surface warship since World War II.
Previous ships sunk by submarine's torpedoes since 1945 were an Indian frigate, INS Khukri, sunk by Pakistani conventional sub PNS Hangor in 1971; Argentine Navy cruiser General Belgrano sunk by HMS Conqueror SSN in 1982; and South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan sunk in March 2010, most likely by a torpedo from a North Korean small sub.
US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (in his ignorance of Argentinian, Indian and South Korean sinkings) said at a press conference this morning. “Instead, sunk by a torpedo, quiet death [but big explosion!], the first sinking of an enemy ship by a torpedo since World War II.” Ultranationalist Hegseth may feel non-US history doesn't exist.
While Israel may accurately see Iran as a mortal enemy, for the US this is an elective war. It is boosting oil prices for US oil companies and for America's oil rich allies. Iranian missiles and drones endanger those Mid-East allies. It can also be seen as an attempt by Trump to push the "rally around the President during time of war" effect. This is in the runup to the US Midterm Elections on November 3, 2026. US citizen's sorrow over US war dead and oil price rises may have the opposite effect on Trump's political herpes.
11 comments:
There was also the Cheonan sinking:
https://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/asiapcf/09/13/south.korea.cheonan.report/index.html?iref=allsearch
Also, it looks like the U.S. sub that torpedoed the Iranian ship was a Los Angeles class boat:
"A U.S. official confirmed to Task & Purpose that a Los Angeles-class fast-
attack submarine carried out the torpedo attack on the Iranian warship."
Source:
https://taskandpurpose.com/news/los-angeles-class-submarine-iran/
Thanks Anonymous at 3/06/2026 6:31 AM
You're right. South Korean corvette ROKS Cheonan sunk in March 2010 most likely by a NK small sub torpedo https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ROKS_Cheonan_sinking#Cause_of_sinking
Thanks also for the Task & Purpose info.
Regards Pete
If nothing else this sinking demonstrates the lethality of modern SSNs. The periscope footage suggests the USS Minnesota (Virginia block II) SSN closed to short visual range and fired undetected. The Iranian Moudj class is not listed as carrying towed array sonar or ASW decoys like Nulka. It was defenceless.
Thanks Anonymous at 3/06/2026 9:44 AM
Yes, whether it was a Los Angeles-class or Virginia-class SSN remains an open question.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IRIS_Dena#Armament advises the Iranian frigate had "two triple 324mm anti-submarine torpedo launchers"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_46_torpedo#Operators indicates Iran possesses Mark 46, 324mm lightweight torpedoes LWTs). Even the early "Mod 0: One of the original versions of 1960 (production started 1963). Solid propellent piston engine. [had] Gyro/wire guidance with Passive/Active homing." see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_46_torpedo#Design_details
Even smaller vessels in WW2 than IRIS Dena had hull mounted sonar - so IRIS Dena probably had such sonar part of the LWT delivery.
IRIS Dena may have been unable to pick up the US SSN's signal, been unsure of the SSN's identity, had no orders to take on US vessels or had no idea the SSN would fire.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-03-06/australian-navy-personnel-on-us-submarine-that-sunk-iran-vessel/106423710
Regarding the 3 Aussie submariners on the US SSN that torpedoed an Iranian vessel. With Iran being considered a mutual enemy at Russell*, the sinking would have been an all hands on deck - action stations emergency for the whole crew. Aussie submariners couldn't repair to their bunks because this event was a test of Australia's AUKUS and ANZUS alliance reliability.
* Australia in August 2025 expelled the Iranian Ambassador and some of his Revolutionary Guards Corps "diplomats" for organising attacks on Synagogues in Australia. https://www.foreignminister.gov.au/minister/penny-wong/media-release/response-iranian-attacks
"Response to Iranian attacks Joint media release...
26 August 2025
Since the terrible events of October 7, 2023 we have witnessed a number of appalling antisemitic attacks against Australia’s Jewish community.
The Albanese Government asked ASIO and the Australian Federal Police to investigate these incidents as a priority because they have no place in Australia.
Enough credible intelligence has now been gathered to reach the deeply disturbing conclusion that the Iranian Government has directed at least two of these attacks.
Iran has sought to disguise its involvement but ASIO assesses it was behind the attacks on:
Lewis’ Continental Kitchen in Sydney on October 20 last year; and
The Adass Israel Synagogue in Melbourne on December 6 last year
ASIO assesses it is likely Iran directed further attacks as well.
These were extraordinary and dangerous acts of aggression orchestrated by a foreign nation on Australian soil. This is an attack on our society, aimed at creating fear, stoking internal divisions and eroding social cohesion.
These attacks on our society are totally unacceptable and the Australian Government is taking strong and decisive action in response:
We have informed the Iranian ambassador to Australia he and three additional Iranian diplomats will be expelled.
We have suspended operations at our embassy in Tehran and all our diplomats are now safe in a third country.
The Government will legislate so we can list Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps – the IRGC - as a terrorist organisation.
The Australian people want the killing and hatred to stop, and they don’t want the conflict in the Middle East brought here.
Iran has sought to do just that. They have sought to harm and terrify Jewish Australians, and to sow hatred and division in our community.
The actions of the Albanese Government send a clear message that we stand against antisemitism and violence.
It also sends a message to those who try to interfere in our country: your aggression will not be tolerated."
Hi Pete,
I was actually in Seoul on the night the RoKS Cheonan was attacked. :(
The sinking of the IRIS Dena was a very deliberate attack by the USN. The vessel was in India for India’s International Fleet Review 2026 (https://www.ifrmilan26.com/custom/milan-2026) and was probably tracked 24/ from the time it slipped its mooring. The video shows that the SSN, likely USS Minnesota, which was in HMAS Stirling, Western Australia in late February (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2026/mar/05/iran-warship-australian-crew-onboard-us-submarine-foreign-minister-refuses-to-say) was positioned perfectly to video the torpedo hit.
This sinking sends two clear messages, one to the Iranians, who could have just extended the IRIS Dena’s Indian port call a few more weeks, that all its ships will be a target, and this has lead to an Iranian Naval Auxiliary scrambling into a Sri Lankan port (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c747vezn7zwo)
There is also a small possibility that the Dena was carrying long range drones and getting in a position to launch them at Diego Garcia.
The second message sent is that the USN is not playing around. Previous naval operations, such as against ISIS in Syria, faced interference from Russian naval units, so the USN is telling everyone to stay the heck away from its Arabian Sea operations - and will give any navy thinking of sending an ‘observation’ submarine to snoop around and gather ELINT data to keep their boats in port rather than get misidentified as an Iranian Kilo SSK and eat a few torpedoes.
More info:
New Details: How U.S. Navy Sub USS Charlotte Sank Iranian Frigate IRIS Dena
With Two MK-48 Torpedoes:
https://www.armyrecognition.com/news/navy-news/2026/new-details-how-u-s-navy-sub-uss-charlotte-sank-iranian-frigate-iris-dena-with-two-mk-48-torpedoes
Thanks Shawn at 3/07/2026 2:55 AM
It certainly shows US intent.
The sinking was an especially sensitive operation for the USN given scope for misidentification of the target ship from the ships of the other 17 navies at India’s multilateral MILAN 2026 naval exercises.
It seems that the value of disputed Diego Garcia (DG) to the US has increased due to USN and USAF operations against Iran from DG. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diego_Garcia#Transnational_political_issues
Looks like "The torpedo that struck an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean earlier this week was fired by the USS Charlotte, multiple U.S. officials told CBS News on Thursday.
The USS Charlotte, a Los Angeles-class U.S. attack submarine, fired two MK 48 torpedoes at the Iranian warship IRIS Dena, the officials said. The first one missed, but the second one sank the Dena."
See https://www.cbsnews.com/live-updates/us-iran-war-spreads-azerbaijan-israel-strikes-tehran-lebanon/#post-update-d997900d and see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USS_Charlotte_(SSN-766)#2026_Iran_War
Regards Pete
Thanks Anonymous at 3/07/2026 4:42 AM
I've updated USS Charlotte's part accordingly.
Regards Pete
Hi Pete, from my own observation of the video, it looks like two torpedoes hit within a split second of each other, and was in passive acoustic or wake homing mode, hence the hits were at the stern.
The other ship attack mode involves the torpedo travelling under the surface contact then detonating to break its back, but at the IRIS Dena wasn’t a large warship, this was not necessary.
Excellent article from Aaron ‘Sub Brief’ Amick on modern torpedoes:
https://www.twz.com/33018/modern-submarine-torpedo-attacks-are-nothing-like-what-you-see-in-the-movies
Post a Comment