Preemptive Strike

[krozet]

NATO Sinks Pirate Mother Ship Off Somalia

(March 1) -- A NATO task force intercepted and sank a pirate mother ship off the Horn of Africa in a pre-emptive bid to disrupt the raiders' attacks on merchant ships ahead of peak piracy season.

An assault team from the Danish destroyer HDMS Absalon, the NATO force flagship, boarded and then scuttled the large open boat after it left a well-known pirate camp in eastern Somalia, the alliance announced Monday. Without that ship, which served as a floating dock and supply depot to smaller and faster attack vessels, the pirates are expected to have a harder time waging successful assaults.

The scuttled boat, loaded with what NATO described as pirate equipment and supplies, was heading to offshore hunting areas on Sunday at the outset of what has in recent years been the most lucrative season for pirates operating in the region. With the northeasterly monsoons coming to an end, the wind and sea conditions for March, April and May are favorable for piracy in waters that carry a substantial amount of the world's seaborne trade among the Middle East, India, Eastern Asia, Europe and Africa.

"Disrupting the pirates' capability just off their main pirate camps sends a strong signal to the pirates that NATO and the international community do not tolerate their actions," said Danish Commodore Christian Rune, the mission commander. "Disposing of their vessels before they can head to sea hits the pirates before they can present a threat to merchant shipping."

The Absalon leads Operation Ocean Shield, a three-ship NATO flotilla off Somalia that includes the U.S. Navy's USS Boone and the British Royal Navy's HMS Chatham. American and European Union task forces are on patrol elsewhere in the region to thwart pirates and possibly terrorists who use sea lanes from Pakistan to the Gulf of Aden.

A NATO force from the Danish destroyer HDMS Absalon, shown here, intercepted and sank a pirate mother ship off the Horn of Africa.


Hummm.... Wonder if this approach will produce any effects, years of doing nothing hasn't stopped piracy so maybe doing SOMETHING will help...

[MC1]

Wow, they finally grew some!! Three cheers, and keep it comin' to 'em!

[LittleWingCA]

Watch, they will probably get sued by Greenpeace for polluting the ocean.

[tager]

I'm assuming they scuttled the pirates too?

[sailortjk1]

Good for them.
Score one for the good guys!

[tager]

Ha. There is no such thing as "the good guys."

[smackdaddy]

Originally Posted by tager

Ha. There is no such thing as "the good guys."

Score one for the much better guys.

[sailortjk1]

Thanks Smacky.

[JomsViking]

Those guys and gals at HDMS Absalon are good!
This seems pretty accurate: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HDMS_Absalon_(L16)

[tager]

The point is that some people killed some other people and now you are saying "score one for the good guys."

I am totally against piracy, and I believe that those pirates got what was coming to them. However, I don't cheer when people die.

Who were the "much better guys" at Hiroshima?

I am not comparing this event to Hiroshima, they are totally different. I am trying to illustrate that killing fellow humans is never good. When you tread on the safety of others by being a pirate, you accept death as a possible fate. I still think killing people is wrong, and so is scuttling ships.

Doesn't it pollute the ocean? Isn't it an irresponsible way to deal with lead, petroleum products, and other chemicals?

Maybe you guys think I am an "enviro-nut" or a "liberal" or whatever.

I would not hesitate to kill pirates. However, I wouldn't celebrate their defeat as they swam helpless in the water, soon to die. Humans.