US Warship ‘Kill Marks’ Reveal Details About Red Sea Combat

A United States Navy destroyer has been spotted with “kill marks,” revealing details about its Red Sea combat, where Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked American warships and civilian vessels.

Newsweek has contacted the U.S. Central Command for comment by email.

Why It Matters

The Houthis has carried out attacks in the Red Sea, an important shipping route, on about 100 merchant ships since the Gaza war began in October 2023, which included ships that were unrelated to Israel. The Iranian-backed armed group has seized one and sunk two vessels.

The U.S. military has formed a coalition to protect Red Sea shipping, where it deployed naval strike groups led by aircraft carriers, intercepting missiles and drones fired by the Houthis, as well as conducting airstrikes in Yemen against the rebels’ weapon facilities.

What To Know

According to a photo published last Friday by the official Facebook page of the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Spruance, at least 13 “kill marks” were visible on the hull of the warship, reflecting the numbers of missiles and drones it shot down during its Red Sea deployment.

The destroyer was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln. It left its home port in San Diego, California, last July for a five-month overseas deployment, providing defense to U.S. forces and commercial vessels in the Red Sea, according to the U.S. Navy.

The numbers of the Spruance’s markings match the information provided by U.S. Navy Vice Admiral Brendan McLane, who is the commander of the Naval Surface Forces.

The destroyer shot down three anti-ship ballistic missiles, three anti-ship cruise missiles, and seven unmanned aerial vehicles in the Red Sea, McLane revealed during the Surface Navy Association conference last Tuesday, according to specialist outlet The War Zone.

On November 9 to 10 last year, U.S. forces, including the Spruance, “successfully engaged and defeated” four anti-ship cruise missiles, five anti-ship ballistic missiles, and eight drones while transiting the Bab al-Mandeb Strait, the U.S. Central Command reported.

The waterway is 18 miles wide at its narrowest point, located between Yemen to the east and Djibouti and Eritrea to the west, which connects the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Attacks in the strait forced commercial vessels to detour around the southern tip of Africa.

The comments from the Surface Navy Association conference “cover the overall weapons expenditure in the Red Sea,” said the U.S. Navy in response to Newsweek‘s request for comment.

What People Are Saying

U.S. Navy Commander Leigh R. Tate, executive officer of the destroyer USS Spruance, said in a press release: “I am so proud of our team. Our Sailors met every challenge on this deployment with professional excellence. Sailors displayed the highest levels of teamwork, adaptability, and courage—qualities that make our Navy the finest in the world.”

The U.S. Central Command said in a press release: “CENTCOM [Central Command] remains vigilant in its efforts to safeguard maritime traffic in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, and will continue to take appropriate steps to address any threats to regional stability.”

What Happens Next

While the Houthis have announced suspension of their attacks in response to a ceasefire deal struck between Israel and the Palestinian Hamas movement in Gaza last week, the U.S. Navy is likely to continue its deployment in the Red Sea to protect the shipping route.