Destroyer Farragut intercepts suspected pirates off Somalia

The Virginian Pilot ^ | April 16, 2010 | Louis Hansen

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The Florida-based destroyer Farragut intercepted seven suspected pirates during an attack on a merchant vessel early today in the Gulf of Aden.

The suspected pirates sailed a skiff up to the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Thor Traveler and fired rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel during a ten-minute, pre-dawn skirmish, the Navy said in a release. The skipper of the Thor Traveler radioed for help.

The Farragut headed to the area and sent a helicopter to chase the skiff, according to the Navy. The helicopter crew found the skiff, trained spotlights on it and ordered it stop.

The suspected pirates tossed equipment overboard. A boarding team from the Farragut reached the boat and confiscated more equipment, the Navy said. The sailors instructed the skiff to return to the Somali Coast.

The Farragut is the flagship for the multi-national Combined Maritime Forces in the Gulf of Aden region. Singapore Navy Rear Adm. Bernard Miranda, commander of the task force, said pirate attacks have increased recently, but their rate of success has dropped.

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USS Farragut (DDG 99)home page

Damn the pirates!

[rfreedom4u]

Should’ve sunk it and if they could swim back to shore they could go free. At the same time dump the leftovers from the mess decks.

[Eagles6]

Boy! I guess we showed those pirates, made ‘em take a time out.

[bgill]

pirate attacks have increased recently, but their rate of success has dropped

Rocket-propelled grenades, you say? Uh, I thinking the rate of success or the rate of victim casualties will rise with increased fire power.

[Oldexpat]

Why didn’t they fire on the boat? Who wrote the ROE? Oh..yeah..

[ArrogantBustard]

Their use of RPGs is not new.

While I applaud the interruption of this pirate attack, letting the pirates return to land does not solve the problem. They'll just get more rifles, more RPGs, and do it again.

Pirates need to be killed.

[cotton]

In similar news, Blackbeard, a suspected pirate, was stopped at sea while he and his crew were firing on and boarding another boat. The US crew boarded Blackbeard's ship, confiscated a pile of bounty and ordered Blackbeard and his crew back to their base of action to reload and try again another day. The suspected pirates were last seen smiling, and giving the middle finger to the US ship as they disappeared over the horizon.

[Robe]

The suspected pirates sailed a skiff up to the Thailand-flagged bulk carrier Thor Traveler and fired rifles and rocket-propelled grenades at the vessel during a ten-minute, pre-dawn skirmish, the Navy said in a release.

WTF do you have to do to be ACTUAL pirates???? Have a parrot,a peg leg and eye patch???

[bgill]

letting the pirates return to land does not solve the problem

But, but catch and release works so well with illegals, it should work just as well with pirates!!!

[Ro_Thunder]

Why not sink it? THEY ARE PIRATES.

If someone attacked my house - or me in my car, I’d do everything I can to kill them before they killed me.

[Mouton]

They should have “intercepted” them with the five inch guns.

[Hardraade]

WTF do you have to do to be ACTUAL pirates???? Have a parrot,a peg leg and eye patch???

Actually, I don't think you need the eyepatch.

[meatloaf]

I’d prefer their outboard be deep sixed and the crew be given 2x4s as paddles.

[BatGuano]

Which Peter Sellers movie was this scene from? I laughed out loud remembering all his disguises but forget the movie title.

[hosepipe]

I say name a sub the USS Barney Frank and use it to surface right next to the Pirates and molest them.. or give them a proposition they cannot refuse..

[Kenny Bunk]

I say, you pirates, ahoy there! Put those nasty weapons back in your cubby right now! Time out!

Anyone for milk, cookies?

It has been proven by Pentagon studies that when Somali Environmental Protection Agents miss their nap, they can get a wee bit testy. Nothing a good pre-school teacher can't handle, though.

Question: Is the Farragut an armed vessel?

[Hardraade]

Which Peter Sellers movie was this scene from?

The revenge of the Pink Panther. Disguise by the immortal Balls...

[karnage]

Yep. Keep it simple.

[csvset]

Armed but not up to dispatching the scurvy dogs to the briny deep. Pirates should be dealt with swiftly and with deadly force.

[Kenny Bunk]

Where is that tough abusive harridan the Navy just removed from command? Put her on this pirate thing.

Let's see how these scurvy Somali dogs hold up to good old American Lesbo-PMS!

Gosh. I forgot that may be against the Geneva Convention. Sorry, fellows. Milk and cookies it is!