Kochi: Before falling victim to the US attack, a sailor had told his father the commander of the sunken Iranian ship had ignored warnings issued by the US before hitting IRIS Dena on the morning of March 4 in the Indian Ocean.
The deceased sailor told his father minutes before the frigate was struck by a torpedo, NDTV quoted news website Iran International said.
A source familiar with the family’s account told Iran International that the ship’s commander refused to give the evacuation order.
According to the source, the 32 who escaped death were largely those who had defied orders and reached the lifeboats on their own.
There were 180 crew members aboard, 87 bodies have since been recovered.
It was the first time a US Navy submarine had sunk an enemy combatant since the Second World War.
The attack was carried out by the USS Charlotte, a Los Angeles-class submarine that fired Mark 48 torpedoes.
US warned to vacate Iran ship
