If you haven’t been watching or reading the news lately, first off, shame on you. Secondly, there’s been a lot of stories about pirates on the open seas attacking unarmed civvy and military vehicles. This should not be happening. If you remember your history, America’s involvement with the Middle East first started with the Barbary pirates. They were the reason the US Navy was ramped up and soon became the dominating force on the open seas.

Today, the Middle East is again being troublesome with pirates. It’s not only there, though. All over the world, pirates are getting more and more brazen with their actions. In my not so humble opinion, the Navy needs to ramp up efforts to put these scumbucket pirates in their place. American citizens shouldn’t be afraid to travel by sea.

Ahhh… but they are. Here’s a recent release:

The British military support ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight working in support of the Combined Maritime Forces, thwarted two pirate attacks on merchant vessels in the Gulf of Aden, April 18, which resulted in the release of 13 hostages and disrupted the activities of 14 Somali pirates.

“This is a clear demonstration of how cooperation between more than a dozen international naval forces can result in the successful disruption of piracy activity,” said Royal Navy Commodore Tim Lowe, deputy commander of the Combined Maritime Forces. “In the last 72 hours alone, coordinated efforts of six different nations resulted in the release of 49 innocent merchant mariners who had been held hostage by armed pirates, as well as the interception of 46 suspected pirates.”

Lowe cautioned that naval forces will not be the sole solution to piracy, but by coordinating international naval efforts, criminal acts of piracy will continue to be disrupted.

While working in conjunction with international naval forces deployed to the region, Wave Knight received a distress call at approximately 8:00 a.m. from Merchant Vessel Handy Tankers Magic, which was under attack by pirates.

The attack broke off before Wave Knight arrived, but the Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship followed the skiff to a fishing dhow, later confirmed to be a pirate “mother ship.” Via radio, Wave Knight ordered the dhow to stop and used a Royal Navy armed force protection team as well as the ship’s own weapons team to provide cover. The pirate vessel complied.

Dutch warship HNLMS De Zeven Provincien, deployed as part of the NATO’s Standing Naval Maritime Group 1, arrived on-scene and determined there were pirates and hostages aboard the vessel. Ultimately, 13 fishermen who had been held hostage by pirates since April 12, were freed and able to return home to Yemen. Since the seven suspected pirates aboard the dhow were not captured in the act of piracy they were released, but they were disarmed and their weapons destroyed.

Two hours later, Wave Knight received a second distress call from Merchant Vessel Front Ardennes. Wave Knight arrived on scene and successfully eterred the skiff and prevented the pirates from boarding the tanker. Following repeated warnings to move away, Wave Knight fired warning shots, which caused the pirates to break off their attack and flee the scene.

With the assistance of helicopters from the NATO task group ships HMCS Winnipeg and USS Halyburton, Wave Knight followed the pirate skiff for six hours, until relieved on-scene by Winnipeg, who conducted a boarding of the skiff. Wave Knight provided fuel and landing facilities for the NATO warships’ helicopters and was able to manoeuvre into a position to stop the suspected pirates, allowing Winnipeg’s boarding team to disarm and then subsequently release the suspected pirates.

“RFA Wave Knight is a modern replenishment ship designed to be able to support a myriad of coalition maritime operations,” said Royal Fleet Auxiliary Capt. I. N. Phillips, Wave Knight’s commanding officer. “Our primary role is refuelling and aviation operations, but we are fully capable of conducting anti-piracy operations in and around the Horn of Africa. We have been on station for over a year providing support to many nations, and we remain committed to helping ensure maritime security.”

CMF is comprised of 23 nations whose role is to conduct Maritime Security Operations throughout the region to help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment. Maritime Security Operations help develop security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and global prosperity.

Will we see less pirates on the seas eventually? They’re becoming a big problem, but it looks like there’s something being done about it.

Ok, here’s some of that multi-media…

Sgt. Stryker

Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight Thwarts Pirates in the Gulf of Aden

The British military support ship Royal Fleet Auxiliary Wave Knight working in support of the Combined Maritime Forces, thwarted a pirate attack on the Merchant Vessel Handy Tankers Magic in the Gulf of Aden, April 18, which resulted in the release of 13 hostages and disrupted the activities of 7 Somali pirates. CMF is comprised of 23 nations whose role is to conduct Maritime Security Operations throughout the region to help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment. Maritime Security Operations help develop security in the maritime environment, which promotes stability and global prosperity. Photo: Courtesy

Marines Patrol Gulf of Aden Skies for Pirates

Sgt. Alex J. Azcuenaga, from Boise, Idaho and UH-1Y aerial gunner with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (Reinforced) “Evil Eyes,” of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, patrols the Gulf of Aden conducting counter-piracy surveillance for merchant shipping in the internationally recommended transit corridor. The 13th MEU and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group are currently on a deployment in support of regional Maritime Security Operations. MSO help develop security in the maritime environment and complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. These operations seek to disrupt violent extremists’ use of the maritime environment to transport personnel and weapons or serve as a venue for attack. Photo by Lance Cpl. Robert C. Medina

Staff Sgt. Bryan E. Campbell, from Melbourne, Ark. and UH-1Y crew chief with Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 163 (Reinforced) “Evil Eyes,” of the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, prepares an M2.50 caliber machine gun during flight operations in support of counter-piracy surveillance operations. Sgt. Anthony Petro, from Des Moines, Iowa, Battalion Landing Team 1/1, 13th MEU accompanied the crew during their operations. Air crews from HMM-163 (Rein.) patrol the open seas near the Horn of Africa conducting counter-piracy surveillance for merchant shipping in the internationally recommended transit corridor in the Gulf of Aden. The 13th MEU and Boxer Amphibious Ready Group are currently on a deployment in support of regional Maritime Security Operations. MSO help develop security in the maritime environment and complement the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. These operations seek to disrupt violent extremists’ use of the maritime environment to transport personnel and weapons or serve as a venue for attack.

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