Pirates attack Spanish navy ship off Somalia, prompting gunbattle and helicopter chase

AP via Washington Post ^ | Thursday, January 12, 10:26 AM

[Pan_Yan]

MADRID — Spain says pirates have attacked a Spanish navy warship off Somalia, drawing gunfire that reportedly left one dead and prompted a helicopter chase in which six attackers were arrested.

A Defense Ministry official says the assailants may have mistaken the 165-meter (540-foot) ship Patino for a freighter in the attack before dawn Thursday.

[Pan_Yan]

AAARRR!!!!

Uh-Oh.

OH SH__ !!!!!

[pennyfarmer]

I am glad to see that Muslim pandering has helped Spain. /s

[HiTech RedNeck]

The Patino is part of an European Union flotilla fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean.

Possibly, a decoy. A few of these will cool the pirates' ardor.

[mgstarr]

[null and void]

Attack a warship on the high seas and get arrested?

What am I missing here?

[RC2]

Just be glad it wasn’t an American war ship. Obama would have them surrender.

[Pan_Yan]

Yep. It's an oiler.

The Patino auxiliary oiler and multiproduct replenishment ship entered service with the Spanish Navy in June 1995. The 17,045t Patino (AOR), the 13,600t Marques de la Ensenada fleet tanker (AORL) and the 2,272t Contramaestre Casado transport ship (AP) are the three major auxiliaries, i.e. tanker and supply ships, in the Armada Espanola.

NavalTechnology.com

[HiTech RedNeck]

That’s Spain for ya.

[DonaldC]

“Attack a warship on the high seas and get arrested?”

Yea, and we wonder why this continues...

[Pan_Yan]

” Just be glad it wasn’t an American war ship. Obama would have them surrender.”

At least the Spanish were allowed to shoot back.

[freebird5850]

There’s a pretty good video on the net showing Russian navy tearing up some pirates. they don’t mess around.

[RitchieAprile]

What am I missing here?

That the Spaniards killed one of them?

[The Great RJ]

Has anyone noticed that the Somali pirates no long attack Russian flagged ships? The last time the pirates seized a Russian ship, Russian commandos retook the ship shooting the pirates indiscriminately and then put the survivors in their boat and sank it in a hail of gunfire. Videos of this “incident” were widely distributed on the Internet. Perhaps the pirates have learned that you don't mess with the Russians.

[pallis]

Even though these Somalia pirates are mentally challenged, barely intelligent enough to know what piracy is, they should be made to walk the plank. Give them some bloody meat to eat on the trip, and send them swimming towards home.

In a sensible world, Somalian piracy wouldn’t exist. The pirates and their bosses would all be dead. Their boats would be forming a new coral reef.

[tbd108]

Is this the same as going to a gunfight with a knife?

[arrdon]

Haaaaaaaaa! After 10,000 years the poor creeps haven’t yet learned not to defecate in their plate. Shoulda’ shot ‘em to splinters!

[Ramius]

[pirate inner monologue...] “Note to self: big grey ships with large numbers on the side... have guns.”

[null and void]

What am I missing here?

That the Spaniards killed one of them?

That the Spaniards didn't kill all of them.

[GourmetDan]

The Russians did the same thing back in the 80’s when ‘kidnappings’ were all the rage in the Mid-East.

Some fools made the mistake of kidnapping a couple of Russians; who figured out who had kidnapped their guys, found some of their male relatives, mutilated them and left their bodies in a ditch.

Kidnapped Russians were miraculously freed unharmed.

Can’t figure how they lost Afghanistan with an MO like that...

[GladesGuru]

“Is this the same as going to a gunfight with a knife?”

More starting a gunfight armed with long fingernails.