Somali Pirates taken into Custody

Jahfin · Post by **Jahfin** » March 20, 2006 1:35 pm

Plumes of smoke rise from a suspected pirate vessel after an exchange of gunfire with U.S. Navy warships on Saturday. (AP Photo/U.S. Navy, Daniel Sanford)

Mogadishu 19 March, 06 ( Sh.M.Network) Two US navy ships have exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia, killing one suspect and wounding five.

Twelve suspects, including the wounded, were taken into custody after the early morning gun battle , said Lt Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman for the US navy's 5th Fleet, on Sunday.

The nationalities and identifications of the suspected pirates were unknown.

The shootout early on Saturday ensued after the navy ships, patrolling the area as part of a Dutch-led coalition task force, spotted the suspect 30-foot-long fishing boat towing smaller skiffs and prepared to board and inspect the vessels, Brown told The Associated Press.

A statement from the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet said the suspected pirates were holding what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers.

When the suspects began shooting, naval gunners on the US ships returned fire with mounted machine guns, killing one man and igniting a fire on the vessel.

Field treatment

Three suspects were seriously wounded and being treated on one of the navy ships, Brown said. A Dutch navy medical team was en route aboard the HNLMS Amsterdam. No US sailors were injured in the gun battle.

The navy boarding teams confiscated an RPG launcher and automatic weapons, the statement said.

The navy said the incident involving the Norfolk, Virgina-based USS Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez occurred at about 5:40 am local time, approximately 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast in international waters.

The International Maritime Organisation has warned ships to stay away from the Somali coast because of pirate attacks, which surged to 35 last year from two in 2004.

On March 15, the UN Security Council encouraged naval forces operating off Somalia to take action against suspected piracy. Pirate attacks against aid ships have hindered UN efforts to provide relief to the victims of a severe drought in the area.

The pirate raids are part of the anarchy wracking Somalia, which has had no effective government since 1991, when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other.

Shabelle Media Network, Somalia

sonofabeach · Post by **sonofabeach** » March 20, 2006 1:42 pm

what a bunch of morons, taking on 2 Navy Warships.
They're lucky they weren't all killed

BadHabitsAcctnt · Post by **BadHabitsAcctnt** » March 20, 2006 1:44 pm

Apparently not the smartest pirates.

markruble · Post by **markruble** » March 20, 2006 10:52 pm

We the U.S. warships should have hoisted the solid red flag just before the first shots were fired. Just to let the pirates know what to expect. NO QUARTER GIVEN! WE TAKE NO PRISONERS!!!

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » March 20, 2006 11:21 pm

Hey will this thing work?????????

go Navy!!!!

Elrod · Post by **Elrod** » March 20, 2006 11:25 pm

Five of these gentlemen just learned that balls and brains are not interchangeable.

Go Navy!

ragtopW · Post by **ragtopW** » March 20, 2006 11:29 pm

Elrod wrote:Five of these gentlemen just learned that balls and brains are not interchangeable.

Go Navy!

they are after the Guided wire Missle hits that little match box floating..

SchoolGirlHeart · Post by **SchoolGirlHeart** » March 21, 2006 2:07 am

Sam · Post by **Sam** » March 21, 2006 3:27 pm

ragtopW wrote:
Elrod wrote:Five of these gentlemen just learned that balls and brains are not interchangeable.

Go Navy!
they are after the Guided wire Missle hits that little match box floating..

I don't think the Navy uses those type missiles for close in defense....

There are no doubt perhaps, a few "TOW" type missiles aboard.
I heard a different version of the story that the pirates fired on a small boat that contained a boarding party of US Navy personel. I did not hear about the RPG(s) being fired or if they were fired. Just that one RPG was seen and was among the weapons recovered from the pirates.

Between the deck gun(s) (probably 3 inch Fiftys) and R2D2 ( Phalanx: a Close In Missile Defense system/weapon ) that can has a rate of fire that can spit out several thousand rounds a minute...the idiots must have had a death wish. Luckly they must have been wanted alive, or else there would be nothing left of any of them that could be identified.

El mojito · Post by **El mojito** » March 21, 2006 4:03 pm

weekly up dates on

http://www.icc-ccs.org/prc/piracyreport.php

El mojito · Post by **El mojito** » March 21, 2006 4:05 pm

Weekly Piracy Report
14-20 March 2006

The following is a summary of the daily reports broadcast by the IMB's Piracy Reporting Centre to ships in Atlantic, Indian and Pacific Ocean Regions on the SafetyNET service of Inmarsat-C from 14 to 20 March 2006.

ALERT

Somalia - NE and Eastern Coast

Thirty nine incidents have been reported since 15.03.05. Heavily armed pirates are now attacking ships further away from the coast. Ships not making scheduled calls at Somali ports are advised to keep at least 200 nm from the Somali coast.

Suspicious crafts

19.03.2006 at 0600 UTC in position 12:42.7N - 045:46.2E, Gulf of Aden.
Three speedboats approached a vehicles carrier underway. One boat came within five cables and master raised alarm. Boats moved away after following for one hour.

14.03.2006 at 2300 LT at Chittagong anchorage, Bangladesh.
Three boats followed a general cargo ship preparing to anchor. Alarm was raised and crew mustered. Boats came within 3 cables and then moved away.

14.03.2006 at 1150 UTC in position 06:12N - 054:56E, off east coast Somalia /Arabian Sea.
A craft, blue hull and white accommodation followed a LPG tanker underway. Master took evasive manoeuvres and increased speed. Craft reduced speed and moved away.

Recently reported incidents

17.03.2006 at 2140 LT at Chittagong anchorage area, Bangladesh.
Robbers armed with long knives in four boats came alongside a container ship preparing to anchor. Alarm was raised and crew mustered but robbers boarded and stole ship's stores.

14.03.2006 at 0315 LT in position 30:06.60N - 047:55.73E, Khawr Az Zubayr roads, Iraq.
Armed robbers boarded a general cargo ship via anchor chain. They broke in to forward locker and stole ship's stores. D/O raised alarm and crew mustered. Robbers escaped in a speedboat.

Piracy prone areas and warnings

S E Asia and the Indian Sub Continent

Bangladesh : Chittagong at berth and anchorage.
India : Chennai , Kandla
Indonesia : Anambas/Natuna Island, Balikpapan, Belawan, Dumai, Gaspar/Bar/Leplia Str, Jakarta (Tg.Priok), Pulau Laut, Vicinity of Bintan Island
Malacca straits : avoid anchoring along the Indonesian coast of the straits. Coast near Aceh is particularly risky for hijackings.
Singapore Straits
Africa and Red Sea

Gulf of Aden / Southern Red Sea
Somalian waters - Eastern and northeastern coasts are high-risk areas for hijackings. Ships not making scheduled calls to ports in these areas should keep at least 200 nm away from the coast
East Africa : Dar es Salaam
West Africa : Abidjan (Ivory Coast), Bonny River/Lagos/Onne/Warri (Nigeria), Douala (Cameroon), Tema (Ghana).
South and Central America and the Caribbean waters

Haiti – Port au Prince
Jamaica - Kingston
Peru – Callao
Rest of the World

Iraq – Basrah oil terminal anchorage, Umm Qasr

Sam · Post by **Sam** » March 21, 2006 4:24 pm

The bad part is the coast line of Somalia allows so many places for them to hide and have bases in. Nearly impossible to keep track of them all.

I don't know what country gets jurisdiction of themm when taken prsioner, or if they still can legally hang them or not.

Some are only stealing food while others steal everything they can, including lives and women, to sell into "white slavery".

One of the couples, I met that were sailing all over. ran into some "questionable characters" that were approaching their boat. ( I forget where they were at) The persons did not respond to any hailings or warnings and were not very friendly acting. He broke his Mossberg 590 Mariner and ahd his wife had a flare gun.... the persons backed off rather quickly and they had no more trouble.

Another couple, in a similiar voyage and traveling, told me they were being approached by some people "with bad intentions" that refused to back off and go away..... They shot a flare into the approaching boat, maintained their course, leaving the people "with the bad intentions" to deal with the flare and their situation, and called the local Coast Guard. They had no more trouble either.