Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack on U.S. Cargo Ship

[Desertdog]

Navy Thwarts Pirate Attack on U.S. Cargo Ship
 
By  TAMER EL-GHOBASHY
http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/us_world/NATLUS-Cargo-Ship-Hijacked-Near-Somalia-Coast-Officials.html?


The U.S. Navy successfully repelled an attack by Somali pirates who attempted to hijack an American owned cargo ship Tuesday by firing rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, officials said.

No one was injured during the brazen attack, but the targeted ship was damaged, officials from Liberty Maritime Corporation of Lake Success said in a statement.

"We are grateful and pleased that no one was injured and the crew and the ship are safe," the statement from the Long Island based company said. "We have communicated with the families of the crew to inform them of these developments. We commend the entire crew for its professionalism and poise under fire."

The attack on the Liberty Sun occurred about 300 miles off the coast of Somalia, U.S. officials told NBC News.

"The pirates pretty much shot up the bridge, but no one was hurt," according to one source. The crew immediately requested assistance from the Navy, which dispatched forces that were able to thwart the pirates.

[AZRedhawk44]

The U.S. Navy successfully repelled an attack by Somali pirates who attempted to hijack an American owned cargo ship Tuesday by firing rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons at the vessel, officials said.

Why was the Navy shooting RPG's and automatic weapons at the ship... and why would that make the pirates stop?

 

Sloppy paragraph.

Way to go, Navy!

[Fjolnirsson]

The US needs to issue letters of marque. That, and/or allow all US ships to sail under arms, and tell the international community to deal with it, or they don't get cargo from us. Not entirely sure of the logistics of that last bit, but what we are doing right now is the same experiment we rail against when Chicago does it. That is, allow the criminals to arm themselves, while honest people wait for rescue/protection from the cops.

[crt360]

"Thwart" sounds like an insufficient response to pirates shooting up the bridge with RPGs and automatic weapons.

[41magsnub]

So, um, does thwart mean they blew the pirates away or does it mean they just ran them off?  I'm hoping the no casualties statement only applies to the navy and cargo ship crew.

[Gewehr98]

It means they left the pirates athwartships. 

[BobR]

We need some P3's with CBU's loitering around the area..... they could probably spend 8+ hours on station, and when needed mosey over and drop a CBU. I was on one that dropped a CBU on an old destroyer for training....pretty impressive.

Seems too simple, so it probably is.

bob

[Physics]

I hope it keeps going this way for us.   

[Sindawe]

Why was the Navy shooting RPG's and automatic weapons at the ship... and why would that make the pirates stop?

It is an application of the Nuke the moon theory.

Pity we've not any battleships left to park off the Somali coast.  Just as a Good Will Gesture of course....

[HankB]

Rather than "thwart" I would've preferred to see the words "sank," "killed," "blew up," or "obliterated" to describe what the Navy did to the pirates. 

[geronimotwo]

this report seems to be contradictory, although more clearly written.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/piracy

Liberty Sun sailors used the same tactic Phillips employed to foil the pirates — blockading themselves inside the engine room.

"We are under attack by pirates, we are being hit by rockets. Also bullets," crewman Thomas Urbik, 26, wrote his mother in an e-mail Tuesday. "We are barricaded in the engine room and so far no one is hurt. (A) rocket penetrated the bulkhead but the hole is small. Small fire, too, but put out."

The Liberty Sun "conducted evasive maneuvers" to ward off the pirates, said U.S. Navy Lt. Nathan Christensen, spokesman for the Bahrain-based 5th Fleet.

"That could be anything from zigzagging to speeding up to all kinds of things," he said. "We've seen in the past that that can be very effective in deterring a pirate attack."

The USS Bainbridge responded but the pirates had left by the time it arrived five hours later, Navy Capt. Jack Hanzlik said.

[crt360]

The USS Bainbridge responded but the pirates had left by the time it arrived five hours later, Navy Capt. Jack Hanzlik said.

So, theoretically, if I had been called and and came zipping by on a jet ski a few hours after the pirates left, I could claim to have thwarted the attack?  Interesting.

[280plus]

We need some P3's with CBU's loitering around the area..... they could probably spend 8+ hours on station, and when needed mosey over and drop a CBU. I was on one that dropped a CBU on an old destroyer for training....pretty impressive.

Seems too simple, so it probably is.

bob

That was probably MY ship you @%#$&&!! It wasn't THAT old! 

 

[AZRedhawk44]

So, theoretically, if I had been called and and came zipping by on a jet ski a few hours after the pirates left, I could claim to have thwarted the attack?  Interesting.

Yeah, but who the heck would call you on your bat-jetski? 

[crt360]

Yeah, but who the heck would call you on your bat-jetski? 

You really think the seelz took out the three bad guys all by themselves?    Yeah, they got my number.