Article

2009-04-13 Africa Horn

Hostage captain rescued; Navy snipers kill 3 pirates

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Posted by Fred 2009-04-13 00:00|| || Front Page|| [8 views ] Top
File under: Pirates

#1 A great business model as long as you don't try it on the US (and even France these days).

Good for the president. Let's give credit when it's due.

Now let's follow it up by more active operations against these boats and by wiping out the shore bases.

Posted by JAB 2009-04-13 01:42|| 2009-04-13 01:42|| Front Page Top

#2 ...And any ship owner caught attempting to bankroll the pirate activities should have their hijacked ships impounded and be forced to pay a hefty fine to those actually trying to stop the pirates, before their ships' are ever released. Preferably those authorising and delivering the payments should be arrested and treated as engaging in piracy themselves.

Posted by Bulldog 2009-04-13 04:40|| 2009-04-13 04:40|| Front Page Top

#3 Saturday that the crew will stay on board in Mombasa while the FBI conducts an investigation.

A USN Captain and a Seal Team Commander take action which produces a resolution and saves the lives of US Citizens abroad.

The FBI investigates. Why am I concerned?

Posted by Besoeker 2009-04-13 07:12|| 2009-04-13 07:12|| Front Page Top

#4 I am also concerned Besoeker. How long until the ICC gets involved? Kudos to the captain of the Bainbridge and the SEALs. The right call well done.

Posted by Spot">Spot 2009-04-13 08:17|| 2009-04-13 08:17|| Front Page Top

#5 1) I think the FBI investigation now is a formality. They're there and have to justify themselves. They'll conclude, in time for the 6 o'clock news at mid-week, that everything was done by the book.

2) Exactly the correct target now are the people who have been financing the pirates. These guys have mother ships, laptops, shipping manifests, GPS systems, fast small boats, spies in foreign ports, and so on. Everything a modern pirate needs, they have, and they didn't come up with all this on their own. Forget Q-ships and arming the merchant vessels and so on.

Want to make the FBI useful? Follow the money.

Posted by Steve White 2009-04-13 08:55|| 2009-04-13 08:55|| Front Page Top

#6 NAIROBI, Kenya Bracing themselves on a rolling warship in choppy seas, U.S. Navy snipers fired three flawless shots to kill a trio of Somali pirates and free the American sea captain being held at gunpoint, a Navy commander said Monday.

U.S. Defense officials said snipers got the go-ahead to fire after one pirate held an AK-47 so close to Capt. Richard Phillips' back that the weapon appeared to be touching him. Two other pirates popped their heads up, giving snipers three clear targets, one official said.

Asked how the snipers could have killed each pirate with a single shot in the dark, Gortney described them as "extremely, extremely well-trained." He told NBC's "Today" show that the shooting was ordered by the captain of the Bainbridge.

The SEALS arrived on the scene by parachuting from their aircraft into the sea, and were picked up by the Bainbridge, a senior U.S. official said.

He said negotiations with the pirates had been "going up and down." The official, asking not to be publicly identified because he, too, was not authorized to discuss this on the record, said the pirates were "becoming increasingly agitated in the rough waters; they weren't getting what they wanted."

Just as it was getting dark, pirates fired a tracer bullet "toward the Bainbridge," further heightening the sense that the incident was ratcheting up, the official said.

He said when the time snipers fired, Phillips' hands were bound. Phillips was not hurt in several minutes of gunfire Sunday.

A fourth pirate surrendered after boarding the Bainbridge earlier Sunday and could face life in a U.S. prison. He had been seeking medical attention for a wound to his hand, military officials said.

Posted by tu3031 2009-04-13 09:54|| 2009-04-13 09:54|| Front Page Top

#7 am i the only one who would like too see the video of those pirates heads exploding?

Posted by rabid whitetail 2009-04-13 10:45|| 2009-04-13 10:45|| Front Page Top

#8 I'm hopping the FBI investigation is nothing more then a "post-mortem" (literally now) and will help come up with ways to keep this from happening again - maybe even to the point of allowing small arms to be carried by merchant ships.

Posted by Yosemite Sam 2009-04-13 11:23|| 2009-04-13 11:23|| Front Page Top

#9 Good shooting, SEALS. Excellent.

Posted by Ebbang Uluque6305 2009-04-13 11:40|| 2009-04-13 11:40|| Front Page Top

#10 Hell of a three shots!

Posted by DarthVader 2009-04-13 11:47|| 2009-04-13 11:47|| Front Page Top

#11 rabid whitetail :
Am I the only one who would like too see the video of those pirates heads exploding?

I know that the expression, "Blow'd the head clean off", has NEW meaning.

Posted by BigEd 2009-04-13 11:57|| 2009-04-13 11:57|| Front Page Top

#12 And any ship owner caught attempting to bankroll the pirate activities should have their hijacked ships impounded and be forced to pay a hefty fine to those actually trying to stop the pirates, before their ships' are ever released.

Ummm, Bulldog, you just described Piracy?

Posted by Redneck Jim">Redneck Jim 2009-04-13 12:56|| 2009-04-13 12:56|| Front Page Top

#13 With the exception of the Dept of the Navy's tactical response, this week plus long story is an embarrassment. This should have been reported in total about three hours after the initial islamo ... uh, terrori ....... ah, Somali pirate seizing of this vessel. You telling me there was no standing order including tactical response for this eventuality? US flagged ship seized, SEAL teams to the Stallions, drop in, neutralize pirates, debrief ships crew, call it in to the AP. Heaven help us.

Posted by Last Breath Farm Resident 2009-04-13 13:40|| 2009-04-13 13:40|| Front Page Top

#14 One shot , one kill, shoot to kill.

Posted by Dave UK 2009-04-13 13:47|| 2009-04-13 13:47|| Front Page Top

#15 It's a big ocean out there. The pirates had moved out further from shore.

The Bainbridge was among several U.S. ships, including the cruiser USS Gettysburg, that had been patrolling in the region. But they were about 345 miles and several hours away when the Maersk Alabama was seized, officials said.

Do a little math, 345 miles divided by......equals lots of hours to arrive on scene.

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2009-04-13 15:25|| 2009-04-13 15:25|| Front Page Top

#16 From AP

According to the Navy, it would take 61 ships to control the shipping route in the Gulf of Aden, which is just a fraction of the 1.1 million square miles where the pirates have operated. A U.S.-backed international anti-piracy coalition currently has 12 to 16 ships patrolling the region at any one time.

Along the Somali coastline, an area roughly as long as the eastern seaboard of the United States, pirate crews have successfully held commercial ships hostage for days or weeks until they are ransomed. In the past week, pressured by naval actions off Somalia, the pirates have shifted their operations farther out into the Indian Ocean, expanding the crisis.

Oceans of that immense size cannot be patrolled completely, even with high-tech detection equipment doing some of the work.

"Wherever the police are, the robbers will go somewhere else," Chalk said

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2009-04-13 15:31|| 2009-04-13 15:31|| Front Page Top

#17 The NYT says the lifeboat the three pirates were on was being towed about 100 ft behind the Navy snipers. That doesn't take great shooting by a sniper -- that just requires the right moment to nail all three pirates simultaneously. Those pirates were dead men the moment they got towed.

Posted by Darrell 2009-04-13 17:41|| 2009-04-13 17:41|| Front Page Top

#18 You telling me there was no standing order including tactical response for this eventuality?

No. This isn't the Army. The Navy generally leaves it to the senior commander present.

Posted by Pappy 2009-04-13 18:17|| 2009-04-13 18:17|| Front Page Top

#19 That doesn't take great shooting by a sniper --

You try making a clean shot through the open port of a bobbing life boat when your own boat is moving with the open seas. Then tell me it doesn't take good shooting.

Pfeh.

Posted by lotp 2009-04-13 18:32|| 2009-04-13 18:32|| Front Page Top

#20 You try making a clean shot...

And don't forget that the reason the boat got hooked to a towline was because the seas were getting rough.

Posted by SteveS 2009-04-13 18:56|| 2009-04-13 18:56|| Front Page Top

#21 How small do you think that "port" was if they could see the pirate, his AK47, and his hostage from 100 feet away?

Posted by Darrell 2009-04-13 20:30|| 2009-04-13 20:30|| Front Page Top

#22 Steve White - Precisely. That includes possible insurance companies in league with the Pirates. Think about it. ....
Its not as nuts as sub-prime bundled shares.
Really.... There are a lot of insurance winners with pirates on the waters. Also, owners who have not paid ships off enough to ditch them on the seacoasts of this world along with the paid up ships... until things like the Baltic index return to normal... having a ship and crew in pirate hands is not necessarily a red mark on your balance sheet.

Posted by 3dc 2009-04-13 20:31|| 2009-04-13 20:31|| Front Page Top

#23 Having now seen this lifeboat, I'm seriously questioning the accounts I have read so far.

Posted by Darrell 2009-04-13 20:38|| 2009-04-13 20:38|| Front Page Top

#24 The accounts you've heardso far make the Navy and 0 look good. What other acoount do you suspect?

Posted by Nimble Spemble 2009-04-13 20:55|| 2009-04-13 20:55|| Front Page Top

#25 "The snipers positioned on the fantail of the Bainbridge observed one of the pirates in the pilot house -- and two pirates with their head and shoulders exposed -- and one of the pirates had the AK47 (assault rifle) leveled at the captains back," Gortney said.
Source

Somebody explain to me how this could be if the bow of the covered lifeboat is roughly toward the fantail of the ship.

Posted by Darrell 2009-04-13 20:57|| 2009-04-13 20:57|| Front Page Top

#26 Darrel - they didn't mention these aides...

Posted by 3dc 2009-04-13 21:20|| 2009-04-13 21:20|| Front Page Top

#27 Darell, I think you are implying a conspiracy where none exists. Planning and patience won the day over inshallah attitudes. The pirate in the pilot house is self explanatory. The other two made the mistake of exposing themselves though hatches or windows at the same time.

Posted by ed 2009-04-13 21:28|| 2009-04-13 21:28|| Front Page Top

#28 Darrell -- it's obvious, you've never been on any kind of boat/ship out on the ocean.... or a big lake.... rocking around in five-foot seas. Five foot seas is very doable --- kinda normal.

That lifeboat was being towed, because the seas were getting worse. On an inland lake, white caps can occur when the winds hit 15 mph.

Now, lets put you on a shooting course... you haven't been on one of those either....

Bow of the boat? Do a little googling. From the pics released by the Bainbridge, that lifeboat was being towed bow first (that's usually how towing on the seas/lakes happen.... its about that thing called steerage.... boats are kinda hard to handle when they are in reverse) The size of that lifeboat? Sailors prolly wanted someone at the wheel, steering that thing. Thus, bow first..

Look a little closer at the pics of that lifeboat. The one place on the lifeboat that there would be port hole, is where the person steering the boat is! Kinda like, so he can see where he's going. Prolly a pretty big port hole, needing that thing known as peripheral vision, so he can see all things, don't you know...

Okay I quit. I'm getting tired. Next time.... try commenting on a topic which you have some knowledge that you willingly want to share at Rantburg U.

And hey, I'm just a lit'le ole lady down deep in the heart of Texas and I call you out.

Posted by Sherry">Sherry 2009-04-13 22:58|| 2009-04-13 22:58|| Front Page Top

#29 Somebody explain to me how this could be if the bow of the covered lifeboat is roughly toward the fantail of the ship.

There is a picture over at Information Dissemination that seems to show the lifeboat being towed from the stern. Just one more bit of data...

Posted by SteveS 2009-04-13 23:43|| 2009-04-13 23:43|| Front Page Top

#30 Nice pic, except that's an amphib ship. And it seems to be launching a missile. Another MSM "illustration" gone to hell.

Posted by ed 2009-04-13 23:54|| 2009-04-13 23:54|| Front Page Top

23:54 ed
23:43 SteveS
23:10 Barbara Skolaut
23:09 Barbara Skolaut
23:04 fdert
23:04 Barbara Skolaut
22:58 Sherry
22:50 yemen
22:37 JosephMendiola
22:22 osama
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22:03 Frank G
22:00 ed
22:00 JosephMendiola
21:59 Skunky Glins 5***
21:52 JosephMendiola
21:28 ed
21:25 Alaska Paul
21:20 3dc
21:15 Tuff_Love
21:10 ed