Vincennes Rescues 5 Iranians Adrift in Fishing Dinghy
The cruiser Vincennes, the U.S. Navy ship that mistakenly shot down an Iranian airliner in July, over the weekend rescued five Iranian fishermen who apparently had been drifting in a dinghy for more than a week, defense officials said today.
The officials said the guided-missile cruiser was on a routine patrol in the Gulf of Oman, just below the entrance to the Persian Gulf at the Strait of Hormuz, when it spotted the five fishermen in the dinghy on Sunday.
The men were quickly taken aboard and treated for what was described as minor injuries, primarily dehydration and hypothermia, the officials added.
The sources said the men were still aboard the Vincennes today, awaiting arrangements to be made for a return to Iran.
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