“60 Drones, 27 Attack Boats, and Hidden Submarines: The 12 Minutes That Nearly Sank U.S. Warships in the Strait of Hormuz.lh

An MK54 lightweight torpedo dropped from the first helicopter. Seconds later, a violent underwater explosion signaled the destruction of the first submarine. The second attempted to flee—its fatal mistake. Increased engine noise revealed its position. A second MK54 struck home.

Both submarines were eliminated within 90 seconds.

The final remaining Iranian torpedo, having lost lock, exhausted its fuel and sank harmlessly.

Twelve minutes after it began, the battle was over.

The Strait of Hormuz had become a graveyard of shattered drones, burning boats, and two sunken submarines. Remarkably, U.S. ships reported no casualties and only minor superficial damage. Integrated air, surface, and subsurface defenses had held against a coordinated multi-domain assault.

Yet the margin between victory and catastrophe had been razor-thin. Had the submarines launched seconds earlier—or maneuvered differently—the outcome might have shifted dramatically.