U.S. Navy captures suspected pirates

[280PLUS]

Attributed to Rueters. Taken from msn.com...

U.S. Navy captures suspected pirates
Small arms found aboard vessel intercepted off Somalia coast

Updated: 10:55 p.m. ET Jan. 21, 2006
DUBAI - U.S. Navy vessels pursued a suspected pirate ship in the Indian Ocean off Somalia’s coast and fired warning shots to capture its crew on Saturday, U.S. Navy Forces Central Command said.

The guided missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill and other U.S. naval forces located the vessel after receiving a report of an attempted act of piracy, but it failed to respond to orders to stop.

“Churchill began aggressive maneuvering in an attempt to stop the vessel. The vessel continued on its course and speed. (Then) Churchill fired warning shots,” said a Navy statement.

“(Later) Churchill fired additional warning shots, and at that time the crew of the suspect pirate vessel established communications by radio and indicated that they would begin sending personnel to the Churchill via their small boat in tow.”

The crewmembers were seized and U.S. Navy sailors who boarded the vessel discovered small-arms weapons on board, the statement said. It did not say how many suspects were held.

Piracy has become epidemic in the unpatrolled waters off the coast of lawless Somalia, where at least 23 hijackings and attempted seizures have been reported since mid-March.

Somalia has been without a central government since 1991, when rival warlords ousted Mohamed Siad Barre.

In November, the Somali government signed a two-year deal worth $50 million with a U.S. marine security firm in a bid to end piracy.

 

[White Horseradish]

Somalia has a government? Who knew...

 

[Seven High]

Does Somalia have a central government now? Will the pirates be taken there to stand trial? What is the penalty for piracy? I know what it should be!

 

[Optical Serenity]

Nice...Go Navy!

And I will wager to say that I highly doubt Somalia has an actual government, at least not with the standards we would expect. Whatever happens, lets try to avoid another bad conflict over there.

 

[Delmar]

"Whatever happens, lets try to avoid another bad conflict over there."

I agree, but if we do end up over there again, I'd sure like to see the thing done right this time.
I find it very hard to believe that Clinton sent spec ops into the place to capture some bad guys and did not think they were going to get a violent reaction.

Pulling out after that infamous firefight is something no decent soldier is gonna stand for and should not be made to.

Pirates?? I can't imagine a somali saying "Arrrrgh"

 

[el44vaquero]

I feel better to know this monster has been caught by our navy boys.

 

[FRIENDLY]

Sudanese pirates

dont US ships still have a yardarm to hang pirates from?

 

[torpid]

Time for the "Q-ships" again.

 

[WT]

Q-ships would be an economically viable option compared to the "guided missile destroyer Winston S. Churchill and other U.S. naval forces."

However, since Somalia spent $50 million on private security forces, they should be tagged with the bill for the Q-ships.

I will sleep well tonight knowing that these 'pirates' will not be raiding villages on Long Island Sound.

 

[280PLUS]

dont US ships still have a yardarm to hang pirates from?

They did when I was in...

I recall a time when sitting at the pier near us was an old WWII destroyer that we had given to some Middle Eastern Country. I think it was Pakistan but I do not remember. (late 70s) There was an Arab crew on it learning how to run the thing. One day one of the crew went to the Exchange, stole some cassette tapes and got caught. The Captain wanted to hang him in port because of the embarrasment he had caused and this was their way of saving face. The U.S. Gov would not allow this. They got underway, went out to international waters, did what they thought necessary and came back into port with him hanging from the mast pretty well dead.

And now the important question. What caliber for pirates?

 

[Standing Wolf]

What caliber for pirates?

Ammunition is too expensive for pirates. Rope will do very well.

 

[gunsmith]

The Navy has sold the movie rights

the movie will be rated ARRRGH! so don't take the kids!

 

[280PLUS]

Ammunition is too expensive for pirates. Rope will do very well.

LOL. good point. OK then, what ROPE for pirates...

 

[robert garner]

What rope for Pirates?

HEMP!!!
Hang em High!

 

[MikeIsaj]

Somalia has been without a central government since 1991...
In November, the Somali government signed a two-year deal

Huh?

 

[Igloodude]

dont US ships still have a yardarm to hang pirates from?

USS Winston S. Churchill does, and that's all that matters.

 

[MillCreek]

What I want to seriously know is that since an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer does not have a brig, I wonder where they stow the pirates. In a storage locker?

It reminds me of a question I once asked my wife, the HMC (SW), who did two IDC tours on Spruance-class destroyers. I asked if someone died at sea, would they still do the traditional burial at sea? She told me that in peacetime, she was required to put the body in a body bag, stow the bag in one of the mess walk-in freezers, and bring it back for an autopsy or burial. She said that she fortunately never had to do this, since she would have dreaded having to break the news to the Chief Culinary Specialist.

 

[waterhouse]

Do any of you Navy folk know the rules of engagement for this sort of thing, or is it a case by case basis?

In the movies the big ship fires the warning shots across the bow, and then the little boat stops and allows the big ship's crew to board/inspect/arrest.

What happens if the little boat doesn't stop? Can the big ship shoot it until it sinks, or what?

 

[wallysparx]

from what i understand, there is a government in exile in one the neighboring countries. whether they have any actual influence in somalia or not is anyone's guess. hopefully it's not another case like allawi, who somehow managed to con the gubmint into giving him all sorts of support even if no one in iraq seemed to like him all that much.

 

[ETCss Phil McCrackin]

The ROE is different for every theatre of operations, for instance on submarines in port in the US, warning shots are not authorized at all. But when at sea, warning shots with one of the belt-fed weapons stationed in the sail are authorized across the bow of vessels considered dangerous.

Now, keeping in mind the mission of the units in the Somalia AOR, the Churchill and her accompianing units are probably authorized warning shots across the bow (or the less dramatic sounding, in front of..) of vessels of interest in order to "persuade" them to stop and be inspected. Those warning shots would be taken with either the 5 inch foreward, or one of the .50's. I don't remember if Burke's have any 20 or 25 mm's or not.

 

[Boats]

In the late 80s we were ordered to intercept and stop a freighter suspected of ferrying Silkworm missiles to Iran. We found the contact, caught up to it after two hours at flank speed, and then merely matched course and speed as we hailed them over and over.

We then called up the chain of command for authority for the use of force to effectuate a search in international waters. As I was Boatswain's Mate of the Watch for general quarters, I got to hear the whole thing. We called Bahrain, where the local theater command was, and got permission to put shots across the bow from the 5/54 forward gun mount. After the requisite rehailing on all channels, morse flashing, and even a PA hailing attempt to have them stand down or be fired upon, the Captain opened up the range somewhat and authorized opening fire. The gun mount warning bell rang. Boom. One inert dummy round splashes the water twice about 50 and 300 yards off their bow because we had such a severe deflection towards the surface on the water. The freighter's crew came around to seeing things our way and slowed to a halt and our ship's reaction force boarded them for a search.

No Silkworms were found. Everyone was photographed and identified to the extent possible, with that info being radioed in. No one was detained, but the ship's country of registration and owners were told of their non-compliance.

I imagine that were we to have captured pirates, and since we had no formal brig, that one of two things would have been done. One would be, depending on their number, to create a brig out a space suitable to the task, perhaps the forward common area and head as they were two easy to defend compartments alongside one another. The second option would be to put them zipcorded together on the fantail in a group with armed guards.

I imagine that the same lack of space and scarcity of shipboard resources for "guests" led to many shipboard hanging of pirates back in the day when the option remained to turn them over to a governor or the admiralty for trial and a shorebased execution.

 

[countertop]

Do they still make them "walk the plank"??

 

[280PLUS]

Do they still make them "walk the plank"??

I thought I'd heard somewhere that "walking the plank" never happened. Keelhauling however...

 

[Thefabulousfink]

Somalia has a government? Who knew...

If I recall, the northern half of Somalia is actually very calm and organized. They tried to split from the rest of Somalia in the mid-1990's but the UN (in their infinite wisdom) refused to recognize them.

 

[MD_Willington]

Does Somalia have a central government now? Will the pirates be taken there to stand trial? What is the penalty for piracy? I know what it should be!

They will be acquited and in return for their false arrest they will each be awarded a shiny new technical, aka Landcruiser with a 23mm gun...