At 4:07 a.m., the Strait of Hormuz became the scene of a perilous maritime confrontation.

An Iranian IRGC fast attack boat rammed the USS Hurricane, a Cyclone-class patrol craft, while it was operating in the transit lane at 26 knots.

The impact created a three-foot gash above the waterline on Hurricane’s starboard quarter, throwing two sailors off the weather deck and into the chilly waters below.

As the situation unfolded, eight more Iranian boats were closing in from the island of Kisham, and U.S. helicopters were just three minutes away.