In 1803, Lieutenant Stephen Decatur took the brig Argus into the Med for the first Barbary War in an effort to suppress piracy. It was there that the nascent US Navy learned the operation art that stood it in good stead during the naval war of 1812. From a revolutionary focus on coastal patrols and distant raiding, the Navy found its way as a blue water force.
The more things change:
The U.S. Navy will launch a force to combat piracy in the waters off Somalia as foreign navies try to stem a sharp rise in attacks in the region which threaten key oil shipping lanes, the U.S. Navy said on Thursday.
The new anti-piracy force would start in mid-January and be an offshoot of the U.S.-led coalition of naval forces which has been operational in the region since 2001.
“Right now this does not change our rules of engagement … but as we progress (with the task force) we will get a change in how we deal with piracy,” said Lieutenant Stephanie Murdock, spokeswoman for the Bahrain-based U.S. Navy’s Fifth Fleet.
“It’s just the U.S. force but we do expect it to become more multinational,” she told Reuters by telephone.
With French, Italians, US, Russian and Chinese naval forces (among others) all flogging the seas off Somalia, it’ll be a miracle if they don’t blunder into each other. Not like that’s a bad thing. Barnett’s “functioning core” is facing up against the “non-integrated gap.”
See ya’ again in a couple hundred years.
By the way: Don’t mess with the Navy.
Reuben James was present there, I believe. Decatur, GA is my home town.
That duel in which Decatur was killed was a very bad thing. I remember talking to the curator at the old DeKalb county courthouse, in Decatur, where they have some things of Decatur’s, including one of his swords. I don’t recall exactly, but either Decatur refused to wear his specs, or allowed Barron to wear his specs, to be fair about the thing. Barron had no intention of a fair fight.
I’ll always drink Decatur’s toast.
There is a a town by the name of Decatur in Iowa. It is not far from Farragut, IA, or for that matter DeKalb county, IA. Between them lies Harrison county and the soldier river.
I just found the names interesting, Iowa being settled long after Decatur lived.
– Max
That would be Reuben James in the picture throwing his head between the sword of an attacker and Decatur, despites wound to both arms. An act worthy of at least the three ships ( and possibly a sandwich ) named after him.
I wonder whether the establishment of this new force is to expand the fight against pirates or to repackage ships and tactics already used in multinational force in order to keep up with the establishment of forces by China and the EU. We may just be looking at 2008 redux instead of harkening back to the days of Preble’s Boys
You might wish to look up Lieutenant Presley O”Bannion and “General” William Eaton who had some small role in the resolution of the pirate problem in Mediterannian waters.
That’s a hell of a story, Marine6, should be told more often.
It does not matter who the players are, or how the organization chart is drawn. Unless the Rules of Engagement change, there will be little actual impact on pirates.
Shoot to kill, shoot first and ask questions later would be a good start.
And, for any lawyers or UN officials who feel the need to get involved, a long walk off a short plank would be good exercise for them.
“Don’t make us come over there!”
Oh, all right, if you insist.
Reuben James was present there, I believe.
The central figure in the drawing is Reuben James…