KUALA LUMPUR: A group of Malaysian fishermen had a close encounter with a United States Navy nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, as it sailed right in front of them in the Strait of Malacca.
In the video shared by Goody Malaysia, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN 71), sailed past the fishermen's boat in the opposite direction, evoking a somewhat intimidating presence.
The post, shared on Facebook, said this wasn't the first time Malaysian civilians had come across naval warships in the Strait of Malacca.
"A few months prior, while fishing in the same waters, another set of Malaysian fishermen spotted Indian Navy submarines," it said.
The video has garnered over 78,900 views and 847 likes, with some netizens expressing concern.
@Steven Lee said it was astonishing that small boats could get so close to the aircraft carrier.
"The Carrier Strike Group has destroyers to warn away small boats that potentially could be suicide boats packed with explosives to damage and sink the aircraft carrier."
Another user, @Marcus Wong, said while catching a glimpse of the aircraft carrier was exciting, it was important to keep their distance.
"It's nice to see the aircraft carrier. But don't go too close to them. There should be two submarines under your powered craft," he said.
@John Britt described the situation as "very cool".
"However, the heightened state of awareness means you were tracked and locked onto by escorting vessels, and naval weapons systems. No, thank you."
The Roosevelt is a Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier operated by the US Navy. It has a displacement of about 100,000 tonnes and its flight deck is roughly 1.8ha in size. It has a crew of 5,600, and can carry 90 fixed-wing, and rotary-wing aircraft.