Fights off Somalia in 2006

Delivered naval skirmish the March 18th 2006, off the Somali coasts between the US Navy and of the Somali Pirate S. Country into complete Anarchy since the beginning of the Somali Civil war, this country is the prey of the private armies and the war leaders. The coasts are furrowed by pirate boats which attack the tradind ships, enough imprudent to sail in this water. The international community mobilized itself to fight against this plague with more or less of happiness and the fixings between pirates and Western marines of war are frequent.

Thus, in the night of March 18th, the WORN Cruiser Cape Saint-George (class Ticonderoga) and the WORN Destroyer Gonzalez (Class Arleigh Burke), pertaining to the Task force 150 and intervening within the framework of the Operation Enduring Freedom related to the War against terrorism, continue during 3 hours of the Somali boats, a Dhow and 2 small fishing vessels, which they suspect being operated by pirate crews. At 5 o'clock in the morning, having joined the suspect ships with 25 miles of the Somali coasts, in international water, the American buildings are on the point of inspecting them and for this purpose WORN the Gonzalez launches a boat with armed sailors on board. By no means impressed by the power of the war buildings (226 Missile S and 36 guns of all gauges), the Somali hold up a RPG (Lance-roquettes) and light weapons and open fire. The Americans retort and in the unequal fight which follows, a Somali ship is run, the others captured. A pirate is killed in the fixing, twelve are captured of which five are wounded while a stock of weapons is seized.

This day, the pirates undergo a hard reverse; that is not enough however to discourage them and their depredations continue (on April 4th for example, the Chalutier Korea N Dong Won falls between their hands in front of the destroyers American WORN Roosevelt and Dutch De Zeven Provincien completely impotent), making this geographical area one of most dangerous in the world for the merchant fleets.

Sources

Re-examined Ships and Histoire , 36, June-July 2006.
Jean-Christophe Brisard, the great return of the pirates , National Geographic France, August 2006.

See too

Somali Civil war

External bond

Article of Department of Defense
Article of US Navy with several photographs

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