View Full Version : US Navy frigate exchanges fire with pirates, captures 5
Go Navy!
Apr 1, 8:40 AM EDT
NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) -- U.S. naval forces say they've captured five pirates after exchanging fire with them, sinking their skiff and confiscating a mother ship.
The USS Nicholas came under fire early Thursday from pirates in an area west of the Seychelles.
The U.S. Africa Command said the five pirates seized would remain in U.S. custody on board the frigate for time time being. The Nicholas is home-ported in Norfolk, Va.
International naval forces have stepped up their enforcement of the waters off East Africa in an effort to thwart a growing pirate trade.
Experts say piracy will continue to be a problem until an effective government is established on Somalia's lawless shores. The country has not had a functioning government for 19 years.
© 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
They should all be provided proper counsel, tried, and shot off the fantail. Why wait until you return to port to dump your trash?
Utah Bob
04-01-2010, 08:55
Source Here (http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/04/01/navy-captures-pirates-gun-battle-indian-ocean/)
USS Nicholas (http://www.navsource.org/archives/07/0747.htm)
Skiff Vs Frigate. Very poor SA on the Pirates' part.[/B]
American naval ship the USS Nicholas captured five suspected pirates Thursday off the coast of the Seychelles after exchanging fire, according to the U.S. Naval Forces Africa.
The Nicholas reported taking fire at 12:27 a.m. local time (8:27pm GMT Wednesday) from a suspected pirate skiff and returned fire before pursuing it and eventually disabling it.
At 1:59 a.m. local time, crew from the Nicholas boarded the skiff, found ammunition and multiple cans of fuel and apprehended three men aboard. Two more suspected pirates were captured on the confiscated mother ship.
The suspected pirates were taken on board the Nicholas and the skiff was sunk.
The suspected pirates will remain in custody pending diplomatic decisions.
Pirates have plagued the waters around the Seychelles with increasing regularity in recent years. They are often Somalian and hold crew and vessels for ransom.
TrapLine
04-01-2010, 10:00
I hope that the diplomatic decisions that are being considered are whether to hang them in the am or pm.
The Reaper
04-01-2010, 10:37
There should be no "catch and release" policy with these assholes.
Sink their boats and let them swim for it.
TR
longrange1947
04-01-2010, 10:49
I believe in helping them, I figure about 15 lbs of lead would greatly assist in their sinking to the bottom to be with their bottom feeding brothers.
It does make you want to ask the question, what the hell were you thinking when you opened fire on a frigate.
ZonieDiver
04-01-2010, 11:00
I believe in helping them, I figure about 15 lbs of lead would greatly assist in their sinking to the bottom to be with their bottom feeding brothers.
It does make you want to ask the question, what the hell were you thinking when you opened fire on a frigate.
Maybe they mistook the US flag for a French one? :D
armymom1228
04-01-2010, 11:54
Maybe they mistook the US flag for a French one? :D
Am I wrong? I thought the French were the only other country besides the US who were firing back? But then I am having a very blond day. :confused:
Personally I think we should just turn the whole problem over to the Marines.
It does make you want to ask the question, what the hell were you thinking when you opened fire on a frigate.Maybe it is caffeine induced paranoia, but my thought is that they fired on the Nicholas so they could be captured and receive free food, housing, clothing, and medical attention.
Maybe it is caffeine induced paranoia, but my thought is that they fired on the Nicholas so they could be captured and receive free food, housing, clothing, and medical attention.
I think a white flag or something less aggressive would be a better idea for receiving help. Firing on a frigate is probably last on the list of good ideas.
Utah Bob
04-01-2010, 14:08
The jolly buccaneers' IFF skills regarding shipping, perhaps fueled by local spirits and Khat, seem to be somewhat lacking.
I think a white flag or something less aggressive would be a better idea for receiving help. Firing on a frigate is probably last on the list of good ideas.The paranoid thought is that the crew wanted to defect without subjecting their family and friends back home to reprisals.
Firing on a frigate is probably last on the list of good ideas.If these asshats were at all capable of coming up with good ideas, would they be pirates in the first place?:confused:
Utah Bob
04-02-2010, 14:49
Latest incident. It's pirate swarming season.
Source (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503543_162-20001688-503543.html)
There was another attempted pirate attack off of the coast of Somalia, CBS News producer Jeff Goldman reports.
USS Farragut (http://www.navsource.org/archives/05/01099.htm)
The attempted attack targeted the MS Evita, a commercial vessel, about 500 kilometers northwest of the Seychelle islands, Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman said Friday.
The pirates fired rifles and aimed rocket propelled grenades at the MS Evita but the commercial ship evaded the attack.
The USS Farragut intercepted the suspected pirates in the Somali basin Thursday. Eleven pirates were taken in to custody but then released on two small skiffs.
Their mother ship was destroyed and sunk.
The USS Farragut intercepted the suspected pirates in the Somali basin Thursday. Eleven pirates were taken in to custody but then released on two small skiffs. Their mother ship was destroyed and sunk.
Whitman said that in the case of the MS Evita commercial ship incident, the authorities "did not believe they had sufficient evidence to continue to detain these individuals."
Yesterday, the USS Nicholas, a guided missile frigate, was tracking Somali pirates when they opened fire in Indian Ocean waters. The Nicholas, which saw combat in the first Gulf War, returned fire and disabled the skiff.
Five pirates are in custody still from that incident. Their situation is still being evaluated based on the evidence, Whitman said.
According to Whitman, each piracy case has to be looked at individually for legal disposition. In the past, Kenya has offered assistance in this matter.
IMHO, the world as a community needs to convene a court to investigate the applicability of maritime law when it comes to armed attacks by pirates. As TR said...
There should be no "catch and release" policy with these assholes.
Sink their boats and let them swim for it.
It appears that the law is vague to allow this kind of broad interpretation. No doubt someone aboard FARAGUT was in touch with their respective COC, and someone in that chain decided this was the proper response. If the situation were on land, what would be the response? If a convoy was to be threatened by attack from a gaggle of insurgents waving guns and RPGs, what would be the reaction?
Quite frankly, this chaps my ass.
If one of these pirates manages to tread water long enough to be picked up by the US Frigate, does he get Miranda rights and US healthcare coverage?