Somali pirates have once again made the mistake of attacking a naval vessel, part of the international fleet set to protect merchant shipping from attacks in the waters off the eastern coast of Africa.
The pirates seem to have mistaken the amphibious dock landing ship USS Ashland, of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, for a potential target and attacked the vessel, which is generally used to transport large numbers of marines.
The ensuing battle was understandably short with the Ashland firing two rounds from her 25mm cannon into the attacker, which left the pirates skiff burning and six raiders swimming. These were subsequently recovered by the US Navy unharmed.
In related news the crew of a Turkish ship attacked last Wednesday are also reported to have thwarted the seizure of their ship.
The MV Yasin C, which was seized Wednesday 250 miles (400 kilometres) off the Kenyan coast, was abandoned by its would-be captors on Friday as the crew had locked themselves in the engine room when boarded.
The pirates were forced to leave as they were unable to take control of the ship themselves.
(pic: Chief Fire Controlman Harry J. Storms, U.S. Navy)
No comments:
Post a Comment