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Momsen and Bunker Hill Disrupt Pirate Attack
ARABIAN SEA (NNS) -- USS Momsen (DDG 92) and USS Bunker Hill (CG 52) disrupted a pirate attack on Panamanian flagged merchant vessel Duqm, Feb. 2 in the Gulf of Oman.
While transiting in international waters, the merchant vessel reported that pirates were attempting to board the vessel. Momsen and Bunker Hill, which were in the vicinity, immediately responded to the Duqm's distress signal and caused two pirates skiffs alongside the vessel with ladders against its hull to flee the area.
Momsen and Bunker Hill tracked the skiffs movement and located the mothership that facilitated the attempted boarding of Duqm, towing the two empty skiffs. Consistent with the U.N. Security Council Resolutions on piracy and U.S. rules of engagement, Momsen destroyed the two skiffs to prevent their use for future attacks.
Momsen and Bunker Hill are deployed supporting maritime security operations and theater security cooperation efforts in the U.S. 5th fleet area of operations.
For more news from Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet, visit www.navy.mil/local/cusnc/.
Nuke the pirates. The Navy should have done more - disable the mother ship - storm it, free the hostages. Now they have their opportunity, again, don't they.
I feel you guys on wanting the mother ship to be shot down and sunk. believe me, we really wanted to. But there were hostages on the ship. the cowards that are so called pirates were hiding behind them. We did the most damage with the lest harm to the hostages that we could do, and to our own men and women.
Congratulations on a job well-done. As other posts here have noted, probably all assets utilized by pirates are stolen or hijacked and there is a high probability that the crews on the mother ships are essentially hostages turned into slaves. Boarding, seizing the assets, and then handing over the offenders to some sort of international judicial system seems like the most humanitarian thing to do. That said, installing a couple of .50 BMGs on the stern of each merchantman is a great idea.
What they did sends a clear message, as what will come next SOON, for the mother ship. It is extremely important that the U S Security counsel take a closer look at this. This certainly has become a serious matter, and is classified as terrorism. I would certainly feel that we need to think about all the hostages and lives at risk, which includes civilians and our military all over the world.Great target practice for our military and security forces out there.Another job well done!Thank you!
Its my understanding that most of the mother ships are Hijacked already and belong to someone else. Those folks probably would like to have them back in one piece if possible. From some of the stories I have read The pirates are using the original crews (at gunpoint) to run the ships for them. My feelings for the Pirates themselves is they should be run through a big shredder then thrown over the side, that would promote fish growth and help restore the fishing the pirates say were destroyed by all others .I also think that the skiffs should have shot to Hell while still occupied by the Pirates.
Battle Stations Surface! Sink them suckers, and why not hole the hull of the scow whut brung 'em?
I am proud of the Navy and the crews actions. I wish a more aggressive stance was permitted against all pirate attacks, including the mothership that was allowed to retreat.
Good shot of the sinking. My son was the Boarding Officer on the USS Kaufman in the GOA and has many a pic of skiffs they boarded and destroyed. It's too bad that the only thing the crew got was a NATO Metal and no campaign or expeditionary metal for their efforts. Not even the GWOTEM. Oh well, I guess pirate hunting is not much of an expedition or operation to the Navy..
The larger boat should have been destroyed as well as the skiffs - with the pirates on it. The Navy simply allowed them the means of returning to shore and getting more small boats. It's very evident someone isn't really interested in putting a stop to this problem.
This is perhaps the official commentary on the incident? I note the destruction of property by our military. Were there human casualties? Is there a declaration of war against the country? Is our navy acting as mercenaries in the hire of shippers? Did the alleged pirates fire upon the merchant ship or the war ships involved? If there is any mistake in the attack on foreign boats without legal justification, then our reputation is damaged.
why didn't they sink the mother ship and set the dirt bags ashore ? no trial, no tax money little cost and no more attacks from that mother ship? works for me.
Silly, destroying the skiff will not deter piracy. Destroy the mothership and watch piracy incidents taper off.
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As a U.S. Merchant Mariner, I feel that the "Rules of Engagement" that the ships of various fleets in the I.O.R. are forced to observe are innefectual..."Anything" would be better than this... Why was'nt the motherships' steering dissabled with a burst as well? Bring back the old "Q ships", use the fast reaction time of jet aircraft to strafe any of these boats that even DARE to approach a merchantman at sea, and hang the smoldering corpses from the radar masts for photo-ops/seagull food...