On 12 February 1988, U.S. Navy and Soviet warships collided near the Crimean Peninsula in Soviet-claimed Black Sea waters not recognized by the United States. While the USS Yorktown (CG-48) and USS Caron (DD-970) maintained a freedom-of-navigation (FON) track, the Soviet commanders of the FFG-0811 Bezzavetnyi and the Mirka-class FFL-824 “bumped” the two warships. The U.S. warships transmitted messages capturing the day’s events:
From: USS Yorktown
To: Commander in Chief of United States Naval Forces in Europe
While conducting innocent passage south of the Crimean Peninsula, Yorktown was deliberately shouldered by Soviet Krivak I (FFG-0811) Bezzavetnyi. Minor damage sustained to hull, no holing or risk of flooding. Two Harpoon missiles on port fantail launcher are damaged and unusable. CasRep follows. Amplifying info to follow.
From: USS Caron
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