Originally Posted By Moderation <a href="http://msnbc.msn.com/id/11233378/" target="_blank">http://msnbc.msn.com/id/112333 78/</a> I just loved this story. so what, ya just didn't see th Aegis cruiser becasue the missle destroyer was in the way? ""DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Two U.S. Navy warships exchanged gunfire with suspected pirates Saturday off the coast of Somalia, and one suspect was killed and five others were wounded, the navy said. Seven other suspects were taken into custody after the early-morning shootout, said Lt. Cmdr. Charlie Brown, spokesman for the U.S. Navy’s 5th Fleet. No sailors were wounded in the battle, which occurred at about 5:40 a.m. local time, approximately 25 nautical miles off the Somali coast in international waters. The battle started after the USS Cape St. George and USS Gonzalez, which were patrolling as part of a Dutch-led task force, spotted a 30-foot fishing boat towing smaller skiffs and prepared to board and inspect the vessels. The suspected pirates were holding what appeared to be rocket-propelled grenade launchers, the navy said. When the suspects began shooting, naval gunners returned fire with mounted machine guns, killing one man and igniting a fire on the vessel. Three suspects were seriously wounded and being treated on one of the Navy ships, Brown told The Associated Press. A Dutch Navy medical team was en route. The suspects’ nationalities were unknown. The Navy boarding teams confiscated an RPG launcher and automatic weapons, the statement said. The Cape St. George, a guided-missile cruiser, and Gonzalez, a guided-missile destroyer, were conducting maritime security operations in the area. They are based in Norfolk, Va. The International Maritime Organization has warned ships to stay away from the Somali coast because of pirate attacks, which surged to 35 last year from two in 2004. On March 15, the U.N. Security Council encouraged naval forces operating off Somalia to take action against suspected piracy. Pirate attacks against aid ships have hindered U.N. efforts to provide relief to the victims of a severe drought in the area. The pirate raids are part of the anarchy wracking Somalia, which has had no effective government since 1991, when warlords ousted a dictatorship and then turned on each other.
Originally Posted By Beaumandy The story left out the fact that these " pirates " are of course Muslims. Big surprise there. The religion of peace ( ROP ) lives on the high seas!
Originally Posted By mrichmondj ^^^ Piracy has been around for eons, and doesn't practice any particular religion. I have interacted with literally hundreds of merchant seamen -- most of them Muslim. The bulk of these seafarers are courteous and upstanding citizens of their respective countries. They cooperate with the coalition navies, and they provide very good intelligence about the pirate shipping in those waters. They are no different than the seafarers on the east coast of the Atlantic, Caribbean, Mediterranean, or Pacific. I have observed piracy in every single one of these bodies of water -- including vessels piloted by white men in the territorial waters of the United States. Conducting maritime security patrols and maritime intercept operations is one of the most difficult missions that the Navy conducts every single day. Out of the thousands of boardings conducted every year, an episode like the one that occurred today is very rare. Let's pray the crews on Cape and Gonzo continue to fight the good fight and sail back to Norfolk safely at the end of their deployment.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 I have to admit when I saw the brief capsule of Charlie Brown chasing pirates... I thought I had the comic section or the National Enquirer......as long as Snoopy was flying reconaissance I guess we were Ok
