FACT CHECK: No Evidence British and US Warships Sunk By Houthis
A post shared on X claims that the HMS Diamond and USS Mason were sunk by the Houthis.
Where is the British HMS Diamond?
Why didn’t it go to extinguish the fire in Marilyn Luanda
instead the Indian ship went?
Where is the American USS Mason? Why did it not go even though its location until last Wednesday was in the Gulf of Aden?The Answer: 🔻🔻🔥 pic.twitter.com/cFtXoQK6xg
— Mohammed AL_Rahabi 🔻| محمد الرحبي (حيدر) (@rahabi770) January 27, 2024
Verdict: False
There is no evidence that either ship was sunk or struck by the Houthis. The HMS Diamond successfully destroyed a Houthi drone on Jan. 28, a day after this post’s claim.
Fact Check:
The Houthis claimed to have fired a missile at the USS Lewis Puller, a mobile base, in the Gulf of Aden, according to the Associated Press. The rebel group did not provide any evidence for the claim, and a U.S. defense official said there had been no reports of such an attack, the outlet reported.
Social media users have been sharing claims that the HMS Diamond and USS Mason were sunk by the Houthis. One user wrote, “Where is the British HMS Diamond? Why didn’t it go to extinguish the fire in Marilyn Luanda instead the Indian ship went? Where is the American USS Mason? Why did it not go even though its location until last Wednesday was in the Gulf of Aden?The Answer: 🔻🔻🔥.”
This claim, however, lacks evidence. The United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defense stated that the HMS Diamond shot down a Houthi drone with a Sea Viper missile on Jan. 28, according to BBC News. A spokesperson said to BBC News that it was the third incident since December 2023.
The HMS Diamond also took footage of the interception, which was published on X by multiple sources such as Aurora Intel. (RELATED: Houthi Rebels Claim To Hit U.S. Warship In Red Sea)
Footage captured by HMS Diamond from the Sea Viper interception of a Houthi drone yesterday. This is the 9th interception conducted by HMS Diamond since the escalations in the Red Sea. pic.twitter.com/mUHqC5eu1r
— Aurora Intel (@AuroraIntel) January 28, 2024
There is also no evidence that the USS Mason has been hit or sunk by the Houthis. If it had, media outlets would have covered it, yet none have. US Central Command has also not confirmed that the USS Mason was hit or sunk by the Houthis.
“We can confirm that USS Mason (DDG 87) is currently conducting operations in the CENTCOM area of responsibility,” a Navy spokesperson told Check Your Fact in an email.
While the Houthis claimed to have hit a U.S. warship on Jan. 24, Check Your Fact found that the claim to lack evidence. Defense officials also denied the claim to Check Your Fact, Fox News and Reuters.