Guest swirlundergrounder Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 How are you going to take on a U.S cruiser class war ship in a dingy?US Navy Ships Return Fire on Suspected Pirates Off Somali CoastBy Margaret Besheer Washington18 March 2006Two U.S. Navy ships exchanged gunfire early Saturday with suspected pirates off the coast of Somalia in the Indian Ocean. The Navy says one suspect was killed and five others were wounded in the incident.The U.S. ships Cape Saint George and the Gonzalez were conducting maritime security operations in international waters when they spotted a suspicious vessel towing two smaller boats westward along the coast of Somalia. Commander Jeff Breslau, of the Navy's Fifth Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, told VOA what happened next."As Gonzalez's boarding teams prepared to conduct a routine boarding of the suspect vessel, the ships noticed that a group of suspected pirates were brandishing what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers," he said. "The suspected pirates then opened fire on the Navy ships."Commander Breslau says the two U.S. ships then returned fire with small arms in self-defense."In the exchange, one of the suspected pirates was killed and a fire ignited aboard the main suspect vessel," he added.Twelve suspects, including the five injured, were taken into U.S. custody. A rocket-propelled grenade launcher and automatic weapons were also confiscated. No U.S. sailors were injured in the engagement, and there was only minimal damage to the American ships."Initial reports are that damage was limited to evidence of impact of small arms fire, but it won't interrupt the ships' mission at all," he explained.Piracy off the coast of Somalia has been on the rise recently. Commander Breslau says pirates are disrupting relief supplies, and also pose a danger to international shipping."So, we've been keeping an eye on that while we've been conducting maritime security operations," he noted.The Navy's main mission in the area is related to the war on terror."The focus of maritime security operations is preventing terrorists from having free use of the sea to either use it as a venue from which to launch an attack, or to move weapons or other material to support their efforts. But we also are prepared to respond to mariners in distress and we do that," he said.Commander Breslau says the last time the U.S. Navy was involved in a pirate-related incident was in late January, when the U.S. naval ship Winston Churchill apprehended 10 suspected pirates off the Somali coast. He says they are currently standing trial in Kenya. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyTrendy Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 They probably thought it was a cruise ship... pirates try to take on cruise ships... what morons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest swirlundergrounder Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 They probably thought it was a cruise ship... pirates try to take on cruise ships... what morons.Then they must have been blinded by their masks because I don't see how you can mix up a cruise ship with a cruiser class military vessle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Miss_Digital Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 i didnt even know pirates still exsisted LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slamminshaun Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 Arrrrr....shiver me timbers!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest dahzel Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 being in the yachting industry i have read a few articles on these pirate attacks. they are getting more frequent but the ppl who have to be careful are the yachts. i read just a couple of days ago do's and don't when being attacked by pirates. all female crew have to be hidden. at night you must cruise w/ only navigation lights, no deck lights. the list was huge. the majority of these attacks are in africa and asia. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Damon7278 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Lots of butt pirates are alive and well today, ask harold ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryan2772 Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 must've been a sh*tload of fun to light these fockers up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest slamminshaun Posted March 20 Report Share Posted March 20 Remember this guy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest HouseJunkie Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 Lots of butt pirates are alive and well today, ask harold ;D ;D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest JMT Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 must've been a sh*tload of fun to light these fockers upthats the same thing i was thinking. sounds like it was target practice. pirates arent as sharp as they used to be i guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LeVeL Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 They should of made those fockers walk the plank of shark infested waters.. :-X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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