Russian warship carried out 'unsafe' operation near U.S. ships - U.S. Defense official

The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG 107) is pictured underway during the multinational UNITAS Atlantic 53-2012 exercise conducted in the western Caribbean Sea in this September 25, 2012 handout photo. REUTERS/ Lt. Cmdr. Corey Barker/U.S. Navy/Handout

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A Russian warship carried out an "unsafe and unprofessional" maritime operation near two U.S. Navy ships on June 17, a U.S. Defense Department official said on Tuesday, contradicting a Russian account of the incident.

The official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said the Russian Neustrashimy-class frigate came within 315 yards of the USS Gravely and within five nautical miles of the USS Harry S. Truman in the eastern Mediterranean Sea.