A U.S. Navy electronics technician assigned to the USS Chief, a minesweeping vessel bound for the Strait of Hormuz, was evacuated to Japan after a monkey attack during shore leave in Thailand. The sailor was scratched by an Asian monkey while ashore in Phuket and was transported to the Navy's forward base in Sasebo, Japan, for medical treatment.
The USS Chief and its sister ship USS Pioneer were dispatched in mid-April from Southeast Asia to locate and sweep mines laid by Iran in and around the Strait of Hormuz. The attack occurred during a stopover in Phuket, though the exact species of the animal remains unclear. Long-tailed macaques, known for aggressive behavior, are common throughout Thailand and frequent the tourist areas where guided monkey-viewing experiences are marketed to visitors.
A U.S. 7th Fleet spokesperson confirmed the incident and said the sailor received medical care with no operational delays to the Chief's mission. Navy officials characterized the episode as an example of the unpredictable complications that can disrupt military operations. "Weird stuff happens," one military official said. "This was definitely an unknown unknown."
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention warns that macaques can transmit the Herpes B virus, and individuals who are attacked should seek immediate medical attention. The sailor's evacuation to Sasebo ensured he had access to adequate care for his injuries.
Mission in Contested Waters
The Strait of Hormuz, a critical global chokepoint through which about 20 percent of the world's oil supply typically passes during peacetime, has been effectively closed due to the threat of Iranian mines and fast-attack boats. The Chief and Pioneer are Avenger-class mine-countermeasure vessels tasked with clearing the waterway as part of a broader operation that includes helicopters, undersea drones, surveillance aircraft, and destroyers. The two ships carry approximately 84 sailors combined.
On Thursday, President Trump announced on Truth Social that minesweepers were already operating in the strait and ordered the effort to triple in scale. Trump also instructed the Navy to "shoot and kill" any boats attempting to lay mines in the waterway, emphasizing that there should be "no hesitation" in responding to such threats.
The incident has circulated through the Navy's close-knit mine-sweeping community, where sailors describe the work as both tedious and dangerous. One source briefed on the situation noted the unusual nature of the hazard: "Normally, you worry that sailors ashore would be at risk of catching a disease from some other activity, not from a monkey."
Author James Rodriguez: "A sailor scraped by a macaque becomes a footnote in a strategic operation that could reshape Middle Eastern tensions, but it's a reminder that even the most carefully planned missions can be derailed by something no war game accounts for."
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