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| Africa Horn |
| US warship with helicopters joins pirate standoff |
| 2009-04-11 |
| A second US warship — this one bearing helicopters — arrived Friday off the Somali coast amid a tense standoff with pirates holding a US ship captain whose recent escape attempt failed, the Pentagon said. The guided-missile frigate USS Halyburton "is on site, in the vicinity" of the small lifeboat where pirates are holding Captain Richard Phillips hostage, said US Defense Department spokesman Bryan Whitman. The Halyburton "brings helicopters" to the volatile scene, said Whitman, who declined to say if the warship was within view of the lifeboat adrift in the Indian Ocean. The US destroyer on site, the USS Bainbridge, has been monitoring the lifeboat but has no helicopters, another US official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity. The amphibious assault ship USS Boxer was also in the region but further away than the other two vessels, he added. Phillips jumped into the water during the night and tried to swim towards the USS Bainbridge, but pirates jumped in and recaptured him, the official told AFP. "The captain jumped off and tried to escape," the official told AFP, adding that he had no details about how the pirates managed to take him back. The incident lasted "around half an hour," the official said. The Bainbridge, accompanied by a P-3 Orion surveillance plane, was preventing the pirates from moving their hostage to a larger ship. |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #24 The lifeboat is out of fuel. I agree that the paying of ransom hasn't helped. I can understand the reasoning behind it, though. And I agree that there is a severe lack of leadership, or at least the impression of leadership. I won't comment on the frustration on a public forum. But it's just starting. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-04-11 23:21 |
| #23 Patience is not necessarily the wrong approach here. But that lifeboat must not get close to shore (if the lifeboat has propulsion it should foul a heavy steel net with a cable back to the frigate) and other hostile vessels must not get close to it, or to our naval ships. And I do like the idea of messing with their communications - not jamming it, but badly degrading it for most of the time. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-11 20:40 |
| #22 "An army of lions commanded by a deer will never be an army of lions." - Napoleon |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-04-11 18:42 |
| #21 Ouch. While not wanting to step into this fistfight, I would say a couple things. One - we all want the Captain back safe and sound. Two - the state of lawlessness around Somalia is ridiculous and the shipping companies are abetting it by paying enormous amounts of money as ransom, Dane geld as it were. Three - our President Empty Suit's law enforcement mentality is worth JACK SHIT when the other side is not an American citizen on our land.We end up feeding, lawyering-up, doctoring-up people who should be summarily shot on sight. The world's obsession with granting Human Rights™ to people who neither grant nor recognize the same is stupid and suicidal. Any Human Rights Activist™ should have to spend a year or two (at subsistence level) in Mogadishu, FATA, SWAT, Gaza, an unprotected house in Sderot, etc before they are allowed to say anything. Four - it is now open game on Americans everywhere - thanks O and Joe "gird your loins" Biden. Five - Our military is frustrated without leadership from the CinC. Look for a bleeding of enthusiasm among the world's best warriors. Wasn't that one of the Democrat Party planks, though? Mission accomplished. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-11 18:31 |
| #20 But was the Bainbridge authorized to throw him a line and haul him aboard by Barry? Could you try not being stupid, for once? The Bainbridge is several hundred yards off the lifeboat. The captain jumps - at night. It's not like the pirates stood there dumbfounded. Even if the Bainbridge had a boat in the water, it'd be several minutes before they could get there. As it was the pirates would've had him back long before the boat got there. If they tried laying down covering fire, from several hundred yards off, at night, it's likely they'd have shot up the captain. Not my intent to be critical or argumentative, but there is substantially more to this story than the brave skipper of the Maersk Alabama. Yeah, not critical or argumentive. As for "more to this story", I'm waiting with bated breath for your analysis. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2009-04-11 18:12 |
| #19 While we're on the subject of Firefly, the photos stash needs a pic of Badger (a fence the protagonists sometimes deal with) for all the respectable businessmen types you always find on the fringes of places like the Gulf of Aden. Unfortunately the scene I am looking for isn't on youtube. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-04-11 17:15 |
| #18 heh, Snowy - I have the boxset of Firefly DVDs, and I'd forgotten that one damn, I wish it was still on, or Serenity II |
| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-11 15:02 |
| #17 We need to have a heart to heart, we-don't-want-a-fight, let's just go our separate ways, talk. |
| Posted by: Thing From Snowy Mountain 2009-04-11 14:53 |
| #16 On this situation, I'm with all for using lotsa force against their fellow pirates, not trying to turn them like we do in the WoT. Difference is, this aint religion, this is organized crime. Mobsters will understand if you send them their friends head with a note explaining to them that we don't want war, we just want to stay out of each others way. |
| Posted by: Mike N. 2009-04-11 14:39 |
| #15 I'm sure we have a Los Angeles class submarine in the area. Have it surface at about 25 knots directly undere the lifeboat. In the confusion, send a half-dozen marines into the lifeboat with close-in weapons. Problem solved. The pirates we capture should be dropped on the beach in the nearest pirate harbor - from about 500 feet. I think that would be a sufficient message that we're not going to put up with this pirate behavior. |
| Posted by: Old Patriot 2009-04-11 14:32 |
| #14 AP's formula is GOOD! |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-04-11 14:03 |
| #13 HERE is a link to an article in some kind of language about piracy around Eyl. I was looking for a pic of the town and I found this site. Interesting pics. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-04-11 13:47 |
| #12 The EUniks are totally wussified, when they are afraid of so-called human rights groups suing them for pirates' human rights. This is suicidal behavior. The moral core of Europe is rotted out. We in the US are heading the same direction. Negotiations are for people or groups with some kind of mutual respect. It involves some trust, but some verification that the terms of the negotiated agreement will be respected and maintained. In the case of the pirates, it is not appropriate to negotiate with them, because by doing so, we are legitimizing their existence as pirates and way of doing business. So what is an appropriate response? We have short term goals and we have long term goals. Our short term goal is the rescue of Captain Phillips and to ensure his safety. There are a number of tactical ways to do that. Our long term goal is to put an end to piracy. It is obvious that the Big O administration, like Carter, especially like former pres Clinton, sees piracy and terrorism as law enforcement issues. That means that we will always be on the defensive, which is to show weakness. The Navy is waiting for instructions from Washington. That is a recipe for disaster and weakness. What can I say? It is a doomed strategy. My 2 cents solution is to: 1. take care of the tactical solution and perform the hostage rescue. 2. Perform a bombing run on the beach between the sea and the town of Eyl. A little demo of what we do bombing and strafing, just like what we do a the aerial bombing and gunnery ranges in Nevada. 3. Demand the unconditional and safe release of hostages in Eyl and ships offshore within 24 hours. Bring in warships to receive the hostages. Tow or get the hostage ships underway and away from Eyl. 3. If our demands are not met, bomb and strafe the town and everything in it to rubble, charred remains, and dust. 4. Take the same methods in 1 through 3 to the next town nearby. You give the pirates a chance to do it right. If they do not comply, then they suffer the consequences. Problem is solved. The pirates have committed an act of war, and must suffer the consequences of the act. |
| Posted by: Alaska Paul 2009-04-11 13:19 |
| #11 Darth Bolton was asked on Fox about this situation. I really like this guy. Isn't it something that some nations are afraid to confront the problem because they might get sued by human rights groups for violating the rights of the Pirates? We are so screwed! |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2009-04-11 10:54 |
| #10 Not my intent to be critical or argumentative, but there is substantially more to this story than the brave skipper of the Maersk Alabama. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-11 10:40 |
| #9 Turn the scene about, to an on-land scenario. Four thugs hold a captive in a 7-11. SWAT surrounds them. In most juristictions, the idea would be to wait out the criminals. In this case, being at sea adds a level of difficulty, as does the design of the lifeboat. It is an enclosed boat, not open topped. Let's be patient. The best outcome is that Captain Phillips is freed unharmed. |
| Posted by: Chuck Simmins 2009-04-11 10:35 |
| #8 Obama is obviously a graduate of the "Jimmy Carter School of Hostage Negotiation". Every enemy of ours around the world is watching this and realizing just how empty the suit is that sits in the Oval Office. The question is not "if" they will move against us or our interests...but simply "when"? |
| Posted by: Justrand 2009-04-11 10:06 |
| #7 Our sailors had better be careful not to let themselves be 'Cole-ed'; they're surrounded by potential suicide speedboats, they're distracted by a totally different situation, and they are handcuffed by their C-in-C. It's a formula for disaster. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-04-11 08:52 |
| #6 Phillips jumped into the water during the night and tried to swim towards the USS Bainbridge, But was the Bainbridge authorized to throw him a line and haul him aboard by Barry? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2009-04-11 08:18 |
| #5 ancient history |
| Posted by: 3dc 2009-04-11 02:18 |
| #4 Good luck and God bless Capt Phillips. I understand he offered himself up instead of the crew. We need more like him. It is especially touching on Good Friday. |
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| Posted by: Flueldcheep 2009-04-11 00:56 |
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| Posted by: Frank G 2009-04-11 00:26 |
| #1 Wait a minute.....the second ship is called the Halyburton? Wait till the moonbats hear that one. |
| Posted by: Cornsilk Blondie 2009-04-11 00:24 |
