USN fires on pirates 1 dead 5 wounded

[bd popeye]

Why these African pirates were dumb enough to open fire on a USN CG is beyond me..but they did. The pic below shows the result of the USN returning fire. That had to feel below average.

http://www.news.navy.mil/search/display.asp?story_id=22784

"" The suspected pirates then opened fire on the Navy ships. Cape St. George and Gonzalez returned fire with small arms in self-defense.

One suspected pirate was killed and a fire ignited aboard the main suspect vessel. Boarding teams from Cape St. George and Gonzalez took twelve other suspects into custody, including the five injured. The Navy boarding teams also confiscated an RPG launcher and automatic weapons. No U.S. Sailors were injured in the engagement.

The Navy ships are providing medical treatment to the wounded suspects, continuing search and rescue efforts for any additional suspects and collecting further evidence from the vessel and skiffs. Royal Netherlands Navy medical personnel, including a medical doctor, are en route to assist from HNLMS Amsterdam.""

http://www.navy.mil/view_single.asp?id=32854

Indian Ocean (March 18, 2006) - A suspected pirate vessel ignites in flames before burning to the waterline. USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) and USS Cape St. George (CG 71) were conducting maritime security operations in international waters off the coast of Somalia and attempted to perform a routine boarding of the suspicious vessel towing two skiffs. The suspected pirates opened fire on the U.S. Navy ships and the ship's crew members returned fire. One suspect was killed and 12 were taken into custody
http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060318-N-8623S-003.jpg

Rocket propelled grenades (RPGs) and other armaments lay on the deck of USS Cape St. George (CG 71) after being confiscated during an early-morning engagement with suspected pirates.
http://www.navy.mil/management/photodb/photos/060318-N-8623S-004.jpg

[Baibar of Jalat]

Its not 100% certain if their were pirates they could be milita patrol as link states. All honesty the difference would be hard to spot.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2094502,00.html

[Finn McCool]

The US milittary takes on a deadly enemy and triumphs against massive odds yet again! This action has truly made the world safe for democracy once and for all! Now that a qat addicted, ak-47 weilding Somali bandit is dead, America is once and for all safe from Terrorism. However, the US forces never would have survived without their full batteries of million dollar Tomahawks and billion dollar Aegis radar.:rofl: :roll:

But seriously...those pirates are getting out of control. And i have a lot of respect for the USN. They could blow up my house in less than 3 mins probably.

[bd popeye]

The US milittary takes on a deadly enemy and triumphs against massive odds yet again! This action has truly made the world safe for democracy once and for all! Now that a qat addicted, ak-47 weilding Somali bandit is dead, America is once and for all safe from Terrorism. However, the US forces never would have survived without their full batteries of million dollar Tomahawks and billion dollar Aegis radar.:rofl: :roll:

But seriously...those pirates are getting out of control. And i have a lot of respect for the USN. They could blow up my house in less than 3 mins probably.

:rofl: Now that was funny..

Turns out those pirates/militiamen fired on the USN RIB(Ridgid inflatable boat) that had been deployed in the water not the CG and DDG..still a dumb move on the pirates/militiamen part. This according to the CO of the St. George.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=101727&ran=12500

Captain praises response of crew to pirate skirmish
By JACK DORSEY, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 20, 2006

When suspected Somalian pirates opened fire on two small Navy boats just after dawn Saturday, the captain of the cruiser Cape St. George, waiting a few hundred yards away, had his gunners lay down covering fire long enough to allow the Navy crews to escape.

“From there, it evolved into a surface action, where the suspected pirates started shooting back at us, raking down our side,” Capt. James Russell Yohe said by telephone Sunday from the Indian Ocean near the Somalian coast. That was where the attack on the Norfolk-based Cape St. George and destroyer Gonzalez, along with two small boats the Gonzalez had sent out to investigate the suspected pirates, took place.

Yohe said he ordered his ship to full speed to get ahead of the three pirate vessels and gain an angle advantage so as not to hit the destroyer Gonzalez or its two small boats.

Nine sailors were in each of the 24-foot rigid hull inflatable boats, or RIBs as they are known.

When the pirates began shooting, the sailors returned fire, Yohe said.

Background: Pirates attack 2 Navy warships from Norfolk

The Gonzalez also fired at the larger pirate vessel, a 40-foot diesel boat, hitting a 55-gallon drum of fuel and setting it on fire, Yohe said. The crew aboard that boat dove off, he said.

At the same time, the Cape St. George was engaging the two smaller, high-speed gas-powered boats with its machine guns, he said.

“I was simply amazed they were firing at us, to be so bold as to actually continue the engagement,” Yohe said as he discussed the open-sea battle that left one suspected pirate dead and 12 under arrest. Five of those arrested were wounded.

Of the injured, two are in critical condition, two are in serious condition, and one is in good condition, said Chief Petty Officer Patrick Modglin, one of two hospital corpsmen aboard the Cape St. George who initially treated the injured.

The 12 suspects have since been transferred to the

Norfolk-based amphibious assault ship Nassau, which has a full medical staff.

No one on the Navy vessels was injured.

What began as a routine inspection attempt became the latest in a growing series of exchanges between suspected pirates and the U.S. and coalition navies patrolling that part of the world.

Saleban Aadan Barqad, a spokesman for the Somalian militiamen involved in the incident, on Sunday told The Associated Press that the U.S. Navy opened fire first.

Twenty-seven militiamen, had been “in an operation to protect the country’s sea resources from illicit exploitation by foreign vessels ” before the battle, Barqad said on two-way radio from the central Somalian town of Harardhere.

Geraad Mohamud, of the same militia group, said the militiamen would kill any hostage they capture and attack any ship unlawfully plying Somalian waters unless their men were released.

Yohe denied that the U.S. ships fired first.

“I can tell you, we have some footage that I think will resolve that,” he said . “… It will clearly show the suspected pirates firing at the Gonzalez RIB crew first.”

Yohe said his ship spotted the larger diesel boat towing the two smaller skiffs in the pre-dawn darkness Saturday. The decision was made to await sunrise before inspecting the vessels, Yohe said, and the Gonzalez and Cape St. George shadowed the suspects from a distance.

Yohe said he did n ot think the suspects knew that the Navy was there until just after sunrise.

“When the Gonzalez RIB crews approached, the suspected pirates started brandishing rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and they opened up on the RIB crews,” Yohe said.

“The RIB crews returned their fire and maneuvered. At the same time, gunners on our ship actually laid down covering fire to keep the pirates’ heads down so the Gonzalez RIBs could get out of the way and keep clear.”

It wasn’t long before the pirates surrendered.

“I was very proud of my crew today,” Yohe said Sunday . “They responded with what I considered appropriate force, and once the suspected pirates started waving their arms and we could tell they were giving up, they ceased firing and everyone stopped firing.”

Just as quickly, the Cape St. George launched its small boats to recover the wounded and arrest the other suspects, Yohe said.

“Despite having people shooting at them, they did their jobs and did them quite well,” Yohe said of his crew.

Modglin, of Suffolk, the senior corpsman aboard, said Sunday that he got about 30 minutes of sleep during more than 30 hours of treating the wounded.

Modglin said he set up a triage area on the fantail of the Cape St. George while eight stretcher bearers carried the wounded to the ship’s sick bay.

The Navy has confiscated all three suspected pirate boats, along with a number of grenades, launchers and automatic weapons as evidence in the case.

It wasn’t until the inflatable boats returned to the Cape St. George that Yohe learned some rounds had hit his ship.

“One of the crews said, 'Hey, there are bullet holes on the hull,’” Yohe said.

“You could see the paint chipped off and little dimples in the steel.”

The Cape St. George and Gonzalez were conducting maritime security operations in the area as part of Combined Task Force 150, a maritime coalition task force led by Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Hank Ort.

Last Wednesday, the U.N. Security Council encouraged naval forces operating off the coast of Somalia to be vigilant and take action against piracy.

Pirate attacks against aid ships have hindered U.N. efforts to provide relief to the victims of a severe drought in the area.

Somalia has not had a coast guard or navy since 1991 when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other. The troubles facing Somalia’s fledging 17-month-old transitional government, including piracy, will be discussed at a regional leaders’ meeting today.

The Gonzalez and Cape St. George have been at sea since early November, when they left Norfolk as part of the Nassau Expeditionary Strike Group.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Reach Jack Dorsey at (757) 446-2284 or jack.dorsey@pilotonline.com

[bd popeye]

Oh great moderators..forgive me for the double posting..But I want to post a pic of a;

US Navy Ridgid Inflatable Boat
http://www.specialoperations.com/Navy/RIB/RIB.jpg

[Astra]

Moderators edt:NO ONELINERS!!!!!!!!

[Kampfwagen]

You know, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a pirate.

Seeing this thread has made me think twice about that.

I really can see how the Somali Pirates would fire on a RIB. They were probably too stupid to tell the diffrence between a standard dingy and a RIB. Probably thought the sailors were some vacationers. I know this might sound improbable, but it isint impossible and about the only thing I can think of other than 'They lost their qat-in pickin minds.' (Yes, this is a pun.)

Modern day piracy is a subject that has always intrested me. Just the thought that such activities can exist today is intresting to say the least. It's come as a bit of a shock to learn that the Somali's had a government for 17 months. Isint that a national record?

[bd popeye]

Yea Kampfwagen..most of us wanted to be something exciting when we were children. I wanted to be a truck driver of any sort and I was one for seven years after I retired from the USN. and I have the 'gut'(stomach) to prove it.

Any way the pirates/militamen are now accusing the USN of firing first. Say what? :confused: They claim they were protecting fishing stocks...Oh really?

All I have to say is you have to be very ignorant to fire on any navies vessel.

Here's the story from the BBC(Not my favorite source of news)

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4822722.stm

US captures 13 Somali 'pirates'

The US warships were patrolling the seas off Somalia
Thirteen suspected pirates involved in clashes with the US Navy off
the Somali coast on Saturday have been captured, a spokesman for the
men says.
Saleban Aadan Barqad told the BBC that his men were protecting
fishing stocks from foreign vessels when they were attacked by the
Americans.

The group has demanded that the United States release the men.

On Saturday, the US Navy reported an exchange of fire between two of
its ships and the suspected pirates.

One person was killed and five wounded in the incident, which
happened early on Saturday as the ships were conducting maritime
security operations, reports say.

No US sailors were injured in the incident.

According to the US navy, it is holding 12 suspects, but unconfirmed
reports quote the men's spokesman as saying 13 men are in custody.

It is not clear whether the 13 men include the person killed in the
gun battle on Saturday.

There are contradictory reports on how the gunbattle began.

Saleban Aadan Barqad said his men returned fire after being attacked
by the American warships. But the US navy says the warships were
targeted by the suspected pirates.

The ships - the USS Cape St George, a guided missile cruiser, and
the USS Gonzalez, a guided missile destroyer - spotted a suspect
vessel, which opened fire on them, according to a Navy statement.

They were patrolling the area as part of a Dutch-led coalition task
force.

Dangerous waters

Hijackings and piracy have recently surged off the Somali coastline.

The US navy seized rocket propelled grenades and other weapons

The area has become one of the most dangerous in the world for
piracy since warlords ousted Somalia's former ruler in 1991 and
divided the country amongst themselves.

The International Maritime Bureau has warned ships to stay away from
the coast because of the attacks. It has recorded 37 attacks since
mid-March last year.

Earlier this month, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said
pirate attacks were hampering efforts to bring food aid to Somalia

[Kampfwagen]

Any way the pirates/militamen are now accusing the USN of firing first. Say what? :confused: They claim they were protecting fishing stocks.


From What? The Kraken? And why on earth would the USN attack their fishing stocks?

Seriously! Just what in the flying blue f*ck were these morons thinking?!

[Finn McCool]

They were thinking about where they would get there next fix of qat or hashish or heroin or some other "terrorist drug"

[DPRKPTboat]

You know, when I was a kid, I wanted to be a pirate.

Seeing this thread has made me think twice about that.

I really can see how the Somali Pirates would fire on a RIB. They were probably too stupid to tell the diffrence between a standard dingy and a RIB. Probably thought the sailors were some vacationers. I know this might sound improbable, but it isint impossible and about the only thing I can think of other than 'They lost their qat-in pickin minds.' (Yes, this is a pun.)

Modern day piracy is a subject that has always intrested me. Just the thought that such activities can exist today is intresting to say the least. It's come as a bit of a shock to learn that the Somali's had a government for 17 months. Isint that a national record?

Hey, thats cute. We all want to be loads of things when we're kids. If you want to hear some good stories about modern day piracy, heres a good site. Its old, but informative.

http://www.nickryan.net/articles/pirates.html

And theres also some infromation on the BBC about that ocean liner that got attacked recently, and some other ships.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4363344.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4410826.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/4409662.stm

As for a Somali "government" there is no order in Somalia other than the gun, becauses thats all they seem to respect, and thats why I think operation "restore hope" was a waste of time - if sensless destruction is all they aspire to, then thats all they'll ever be.
Getting back to the topic, Somalia's coastline is still divided among various warlords, so there is no official owner. In fact most of the pirates are in league with the warlords. So I think only a foreign navy could police Somalia's waters. And thats where the danger is.

[bd popeye]

Here is another article about how the USN and other navies combat pirates.

http://home.hamptonroads.com/stories/story.cfm?story=101775&ran=112450

By LOUIS HANSEN, KATE WILTROUT AND DALE EISMAN, The Virginian-Pilot
© March 21, 2006

Two hundred years after American sailors and Marines established their young nation as an international naval power by routing the Barbary Pirates, the U.S. Navy is again chasing outlaws in African waters.

A firefight over the weekend between a ragtag group of pirates and a pair of Norfolk-based warships off the Horn of Africa was the latest in a series of recent engagements in which lightly armed but increasingly bold pirates have challenged U.S. and allied vessels.

The pirate attacks, directed mostly at cargo ships but including a failed attempt last November to board a 300-passenger cruise ship in the same area, have sparked an international response.

Five European navies are now part of a U.S.-led task force assigned to secure the area for commercial shipping, stop illegal trafficking in weapons, drugs or other contraband and hunt for terrorists who might be making their way between Africa and the Middle East.

J ust last week, the U.N. Security Council formally urged member nations to fight piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia, a desperately poor country with no central government that has become a hub of pirate activity.

“If you’re a frigate, destroyer or cruiser deploying out of Norfolk to the Middle East, more often than not, this is what you’re doing,” a Navy official familiar with maritime security operations in the region said Monday.

“They’re looking for criminals that threaten regional security. They’re not looking for pirates,” the official added. “Sometimes that activity is the same, and sometimes it’s complementary.”

The International Chamber of Commerce, which tracks piracy incidents worldwide, reported 35 attacks off Somalia last year, up from just two in 2004. The organization now ranks Somalia as the world’s No. 2 piracy threat, behind only Indonesia.

Other authorities suggest the Somalian pirates are looking for money or goods they can convert to money rather than battles with organized navies. Saturday’s fight with the destroyer Gonzalez and cruiser Cape St. George erupted when U.S. sailors in a pair of inflatable boats tried to board and inspect the suspected pirate vessels.

“While right now piracy is 100 percent economic opportunism, certainly you wouldn’t want those with other motives – extremists – to get the idea that piracy is a great way to earn money for your terrorist operation,” Theresa Whelan, the deputy assistant secretary of defense for Africa, said in a phone interview in January.

The Navy began enhancing its anti-piracy training 18 months ago in response to increased activity, said Capt. John Andrews, director of fleet operations for the commander of the Norfolk-based 2nd Fleet.

While sailors across the fleet are prepared for hostile encounters, Andrews said those on destroyers and cruisers undergo the most comprehensive training.

Those sailors learn the legal rules of engagement and practice in simula tions and at sea, he said. The Navy tries to provide a new awareness of the possible dangers plying among the small dhows and commercial ships, he added.

“They’re all agile,” Andrews said, “so our training has to be thorough and agile.”

The Coast Guard also has several ships assigned to the task force and has stepped up efforts to train sailors in the navies of about 20 countries in the region.

The service became heavily involved in the region in the early 1990s, during Desert Shield and Desert Storm, said Chief Petty Officer Daniel Tremper, a Coast Guard spokesman.

Piracy is not the main concern, Tremper said, but part of an overall effort to make international waters safer for commercial traffic. “It’s all important,” he said.

Saturday’s engagement was at least the second time this year that Norfolk-based ships have tangled with Somalian pirates. In January, the destroyer Winston S. Churchill, helped intercept pirates who had taken over an Indian-
operated cargo ship off Africa’s east coast. Ten suspected pirates were turned over to Kenya for prosecution, and the 16-member Indian crew was rescued.

In the latest battle, a group of Somalis operating in a 40-foot dhow and a pair of smaller skiffs, proved no match for the destroyer Gonzalez and cruiser Cape St. George. The brief fight ended with one suspected pirate killed, five wounded, a dozen in custody and the capture of all three pirate boats.

There were no American casualties and machine gun fire from the attackers left only dimples in the hull of the Gonzalez .

In a phone interview on Monday, Cmdr. Robert Randall, the ship’s commanding officer, said the Gonzalez began tracking the suspicious three-boat tandem at 1:30 a.m. Saturday about 40 miles off the coast of Somalia.

The three small boats fit patterns that American and allied crews look for in searching for pirates “almost to a 'T,’ ” Randall said.

The Gonzalez, which killed its navigation lights to remain out of sight, followed the boats for three hours across 18 nautical miles in the darkness . Just before dawn, Randall ordered a pair of rigid-hull inflatable boats, known as RIBs, manned with 18 sailors to board the suspected pirate vessels .

Randall said when the RIBs were within about 20 feet of the skiffs, they came under small-arms fire. The Americans shot back, then scrambled away as the Gonzalez and the Cape St. George hit the suspected pirates with machine gun fire.

Randall said the Gonzalez ’s boarding operations had been routine until the engagement.

Though sending RIBs to board other ships is routine, it i s often risky. The inflatable boats typically deliver a boarding party to a vessel, then leave. They return, a few minutes or sometimes hours later – to escort the boarding party back to the home ship. Weather, time of day and condition of the seas affect the mission.

The work occasionally can be deadly.

In April 2004, in the Persian Gulf, a 20-foot RIB operating from the coastal patrol ship Firebolt – based at Little Creek Naval Amphibious Base – attempted to stop a boat near an Iraqi oil rig. The boat exploded in an apparent suicide attack, killing two sailors and a Coast Guardsman