# @thevigilantheroes on Instagram

- **Type:** Image
- **Original URL:** https://www.instagram.com/p/DVsFl5wFLqs
- **Gondola URL:** https://gondola.cc/posts/66793439-thevigilantheroes-instagram
- **Thumbnail:** https://img.gondola.cc/tr:w-,h-,fo-auto/postThumbnails/d3526bdfcf.jpg
- **Posted:** 2026-03-10T03:29:25.000+00:00
- **Account Owner:** Vigilant Heroes (@thevigilantheroes) — https://gondola.cc/thevigilantheroes

## Caption

In a development that will surprise few—it now appears the Iranian ship that suddenly had “engine trouble” off the coast of Sri Lanka was simply an expedient way for the crew to abandon ship after the sinking of the IRIS Dena in the Indian Ocean on 4 March. Shortly after its sister ship was attacked (by a U.S. sub—the first use of a torpedo to sink an enemy ship since World War II), the Iranian auxiliary vessel IRIS Bushehr reportedly contacted the Sri Lankan Navy seeking humanitarian assistance and a quick escort to the nearest dock. 
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According to a former Sri Lankan navy official, the Bushehr was taken to the Port of Colombo on March 5 claiming an “engine technical malfunction.” On board were 208 Iranian naval personnel, including 53 officers and 84 officer cadets. However, the request for humanitarian assistance was actually a cover story for what was described as a “mass escape” by the entire crew.
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The source said confidence in the regime among the sailors had collapsed and the destruction of the IRIS Dena appears to have intensified the crew’s urgency—convinced that the Iranian leadership was indifferent to the fate of its own military, all 208 sailors reportedly disembarked the vessel at sea and after arriving in Colombo. They were subsequently transferred to Welisara Naval Base, where Sri Lankan authorities have placed them under security supervision while the situation is figured out.
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If confirmed, this would represent one of the largest wartime defections in recent naval history—an entire ship’s company abandoning their vessel in a foreign port rather than continuing their mission or returning home. One has to wonder how many (if any) Iranian ships are left...We’ll keep you updated: thevigilantheroes
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#Iran #Navy #Ocean #Military #futurewar

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## Tags

military, futurewar, ocean, navy, iran

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