One hundred years or so ago, the response to this sort of thing would have been much simpler:
U.S. helicopters on Monday buzzed a hijacked Ukrainian cargo ship carrying 33 Soviet-designed tanks and other weapons that officials fear could end up in the hands of al-Qaida-linked militants in Somalia if the pirates are allowed to escape.
Thursday’s seizure of the MV Faina off Somalia, a failed state seen as a key battleground in the war on terrorism, could bring dangerous effects across the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes…
The pirates aboard the blue-and-white Ukrainian-operated freighter are demanding $20 million to release the ship, its 21 crew members, one of whom has died of an apparent heart attack, and its cargo of T-72 tanks, rifles and ammunition.
The ship, now anchored off Somalia’s coast near the central town of Hobyo, apparently was destined for Sudan when armed pirates overtook it, likely from a speedboat, and climbed up the side of the ship.
Somali pirates taking Russian tanks to Sudan, with a US Navy captain in a powerful warship close aboard. No one to talk to, no requirement to phone home. No permissions to seek. Just a set of general sailing instructions and the charge to do his duty as his judgment dictated.
Oh, yes. Life was much simpler then.
We have specialists trained in taking back ships, don’t we? Probably already have a few of them over in that neck of the woods too, right? So what are we waiting for??
I am amazed that piracy is condoned by inaction and lack of will to punish the guilty. Make that: “I’m embarrassed . . .”
Hope they looked at the cargo manifest and didn’t see any MANPADS.
Liked the comment from one of the GOMERS I saw stating that they wouldn’t be caught like “Goats”. more likley “dead goats”
Somewhere, a SWO daddy and his VBSS team are foaming at the mouth.
Lex, nowadays with nearly instant world-wide satellite communication the big kids in the tank in DC and at Flag Plot are giving your Captain rudder commands and setting the day’s menu for the ship’s mess. Oh for the pre-satellite days when even tropospheric back-scatter was iffy, eh? And the old autovon system was state-of-the-art.
“Say again, Sir? Over”
“You’re breaking up, sir! Over.”
Sometimes I wish we could still do that.
Sometimes it is necessary for Nelson to look through the telescope with his blind eye.
If I could turn back the hands of time and eliminate the VTC, I would. ( As someone who sat through 4 of them today….).
I think this whole thing is going to be over about 2 hours after that Ruskie ship shows up on station. The way the economy is going in Russia, with all those PetroDollars flowing, I’m sure they won’t mind sending a few T-72′s to the bottom just to make a point.
How one commander solved this problem…
I agree with semicolon. I think that Russian frigate is going to nuzzle right up to the Ukrainian ship and open fire on every bad guy in sight and kill everything that moves. Not after negotiating awhile or waiting around but as soon as they get within optimal shooting distance.
I’m with justthisguy on this. Isn’t there some way the commanding officers of our ships could have a sudden communications breakdown with Headquarters and just sink the damn boat? Lots less trouble for everyone I should think. And I really really don’t like pirates.
Marianne
We shouldn’t have sent the destroyer. Just have a sub show up and put two torpedoes into ship and then leave quietly.
There is the question of the apparently legitimiately innocent crew. Sending them to the bottom is non-optimal. And those tanks aren’t going anywhere right now.
Does the U.S. Navy’s inventory include tear gas shells? Is there some way that this ship could be boarded?
Is there some way to arm merchant ships with a gun that has a longer reliable range than whatever these pirates are carrying?
RonF,
Some folks know a thing or two about non-compliant boardings.
Guess the Somali pirates have decided, perhaps wrongly, that seizing Russian arms boats is less dangerous to your health than seizing Iranian bulk carriers.
Skippy,
the worst thing at the Pentagon while I was there 01-04, was the Tanberg system desk top Phone/VTC camera. Meant that when the boss or others equipped with such machine called you they saw you and you saw them.
Had a LT that didn’t realize it was a two way system and while monitoring a VTC, went to Sleep (that was funny, just not for him). An IS1 was almost fired because he was chewing gum while working at his desk when o6 called.
When you were called, the system IDd who was calling. For a whole week when I was briefing, when my principals EA called, I’d deny it. He said for some reason the system never worked when I was briefing. Either he never did the math, or wouldn’t bring it up. Hated the damn things.
This whole thing’s a travesty.
Something’s gonna come down. It had better. That Russian frigate was in said to be “somewhere in the eastern Atlantic” last Sunday.
At 22 knots, that’s 5 or 6 days from the Canal, then 10 hours thru it and into the Gulf of Aden.
Saturday or Sunday, and I’m hoping I’m the only one counting the days and making plans.
Will she first go to the Ukrainian ship? And if she proceeds first to the Iranian MV Iran Deyanat, what will that tell us?
V/R
Tom
p.s. Guess we finally honored Porter’s spirit the proper way:
http://www.porter.navy.mil/site%20pages/history.aspx