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Warship hit by missiles from the outside – cameras filmed what happened inside

Missiles hit ship from outside – see what happened inside

A decommissioned warship has been hit by two cruise missiles launched from a fast attack submarine, with the moments of impact caught on camera both from outside – and inside – the stricken vessel.

The USS Peleliu had two UGM-84 Harpoon anti-ship missiles fired at her from the Los Angeles-class submarine USS Columbia.

The former US Navy assault ship was targeted during a live-fire sinking exercise during Exercise Rim of the Pacific 2026, better known as Rimpac.

Like a small aircraft carrier

USS Peleliu was named after the Battle of Peleliu, which took place during the Mariana and Palau Islands campaign against the Japanese during the Second World War.

During her 35 years of naval service, Peleliu, with a displacement of nearly 40,000 tons (907kg), launched a variety of aircraft from her formidable flight deck while conducting combat operations and humanitarian missions across half the globe.

USS Peleliu belonged to the largest class of all the US Navy's amphibious warfare ships, resembling a small aircraft carrier.

Thirty nations, 30 ships, five submarines, 15 national land forces, more than 190 aircraft and more than 30,000 personnel took part in Rimpac in and around the Hawaiian Islands.

The aftermath of the Harpoon strike reveals the extensive damage caused by the two missiles - but despite all this the ship stayed afloat (Picture: US Department of War)
The aftermath of the Harpoon strike reveals the extensive damage caused by the two missiles – but despite all this the ship stayed afloat (Picture: US Department of War)

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