U.S. Navy frigate captures pirate mother ship
USS Nicholas takes 5 pirates prisoner after coming under fire, Navy says
U.S. Navy frigate captures pirate mother ship
NAIROBI, Kenya - U.S. naval forces said Thursday they've captured five pirates after exchanging fire with them, sinking their skiff and confiscating a mother ship.
The USS Nicholas was just west of the Seychelles in international waters Thursday when crew began taking fire from a suspected pirate skiff, NBC News reported. The Nicholas returned fire and disabled the pirate boat, then pursued the skiff until it finally broke down.
The U.S. sailors were able to board the skiff and arrest three suspected pirates. On board, the sailors found ammunition and several cans of fuel, NBC News reported.
A short time later, the sailors were able to take control of a nearby mother ship and detained two more suspected pirates.
Mother ships are often used to take gangs of pirates and smaller attack boats into deep water, and can be used as mobile bases to attack merchant vessels.
The U.S. Africa Command said the five pirates seized would remain in U.S. custody on board the frigate. 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.
link: http://liveshots.blogs.foxnews.com/2010/04/01/pirates-captured-amid-navy-gunfire/?test=latestnews
Pirates Captured Amid Navy Gunfire
April 1, 2010 - 12:28 PM | by: Amy Kellogg
As navies from all over the world beef up patrols in the Gulf of Aden and the northern Somali coastline, pirates are operating further south in the Indian Ocean.
The five suspected pirates and three skiffs picked up by the U.S.S. Nicholas were captured Thursday several hundred nautical miles west of the Seychelles. Gunfire was exchanged but no one was injured.
“CTF 151 (the international anti-piracy task force) had knowledge of three suspected pirate vessels and were able to transfer that information to the U.S.S. Nicholas, and the U.S.S. Nicholas was able to conduct an intercept of the suspected vessels. It was fantastic coordination between coalition and U.S. Maritime Forces,” said Navy Lieutenant Patrick Foughty of the U.S. Naval Forces Africa.
The five suspected pirates are being held aboard the U.S.S. Nicholas until a determination can be made as to what to do with them. There is an agreement with Kenya, in which pirates can be tried there (as Somalia’s government is poorly functioning). If there is enough evidence on the pirates, they will likely be turned over to the Kenyan courts.
If not, they may be set free.
The battle against piracy has been ongoing. It has brought about an unprecedented level of coordination between navies, joined up for the good of sailors of all nationalities at sea.
There are currently 24 nations represented in the Combined Maritime Forces, based out of the US Navy Fifth Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain. That is the biggest number of nations ever represented in the CMF.
Currently, there are 8 vessels being held by Somali pirates, and 165 hostages.
Officials with the Combined Maritime Forces say that though pirate attacks are up, successful attacks are down. That is because ships are doing more to protect themselves, including hiring, in some cases, armed security personnel to take on board to ensure the safety of the sailors. And international navies are operating more intensively in the Gulf of Aden and along the Somali coast.
Chalk another one up to the good guys!
Dan
