 | | A U.S. Navy Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team from the amphibious dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51), boards the MV Bhakti Sagar. The boarding came after the Bhakti Sagar requested assistance. |
ABOARD USS OAK HILL (LSD 51), At Sea - USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) provided assistance to a distressed vessel approximately 60 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia March 30, while conducting maritime security operations (MSO) in the area. The crew of Motor Vessel Bhakti Sagar contacted Oak Hill via radio, asking for assistance. As part of MSO, coalition forces have a longstanding tradition of helping mariners in distress providing medical assistance, engineering assistance, and search and rescue. The motor vesselÂ’s crew said they needed food, water and fuel.
“I was surprised to hear them call me over the radio,” said Ensign Andrew Wilcox, the officer of the deck at the time the U.S. ship received the distress call. Shortly after dawn Oak Hill sent a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) team to the motor vessel to assess how Oak Hill could help. “The crew was scared at first, but after they saw we were there to help them they calmed down,” said Operations Specialist Seaman Nicholas Cheramie, VBSS boarding team member.
| This is pretty much a Notschitt story — there's more at the link — except for the photo of the Bhakti Sagar. Seems like every few days we have a story about a ship in turban-infested waters going down with greater or less loss of life. Looking at the conformation of the Bhakti Sagar the reasons become a little more clear. I'm not a nautical kind of guy, but I can recognize top-heavy when I see it. |
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