Posted on 05/07/2009 10:35:54 AM PDT by nickcarraway
Suspected pirates failed in an effort to attack a U.S. Navy ship off the eastern coast of Somalia. the Navy said Thursday.
Two skiffs, assumed to be pirate vessels, chased the Lewis and Clark, a dry cargo and ammunition ship supporting the Navy's Fifth Fleet, for more than an hour Wednesday before giving up, CNN reported.
During the pursuit, the skiffs fired small arms at the Lewis and Clark and got within one nautical mile before the ship used evasive maneuvers and pulled out of range.
Why are WE running??
From Wikipedia: The USS Lewsi and Clark was...”deactivated while still in commission on 1 October 1991” and was “decommissioned on 27 June 1992...”
If it’s in their cargo, I imagine they would. On a bunch of pallets, buried down in a cargo hold...and they may not have the actual tubes to *launch* the ammunition out of. It wouldn’t do them much good to be carrying, say, tons of 155mm howitzer shells if they didn’t have a 155mm howitzer (and a crew who knew how to use it) lying around.
I think they *should* be armed, or at the least be carrying a military contingent that’s got sufficient portable firepower, but because they ride a line between being civilian and military ships, they probably run across many of the same problems that a civilian cargo vessel would have with weapons. Bring a locker full of M16s into many countries’ ports, even if the weapons are locked down and not loaded, and if the local authorities find out, the ship gets impounded and the crew gets detained. It would be better if the ~50 military supposedly on each ship bring their own weapons on, and include some appropriate level of firepower and expertise to handle pirates. Or station Marines on them.
}:-)4
Even if it’s not a gun ship they should have run the bastards over.
Still that doesn't explain why one of our vessels can be pursued for an hour without some sort of response from a combat vessel or from the air.
Are we practicing for maneuvers with the French?
Lawd Almighty, why aren’t the puckers pish pood?
We are a nation of wimps, I absolutely cannot take it. What a disgrace.
If you are a non-combat vessel that can outrun a skiff armed just with pea shooters, why bother engaging? It isn’t like an AK-47 can pierce the hull or something. Just order all crew indoors and speed on by.
A US Navy vessel and it's not armed? No Phalanx? No quad 50s, no nuthin? No M-16s, no pistols? Is this one of those all-female ships?
WTF, over?
Ahh, you need something to shoot the ammo with.
Ahh, you need something to shoot the ammo with.
Ahh, you need something to shoot the ammo with.
Fine, what about some active support from the numerous US assets in the area, a precedent like this should be troubling and disturbing, to say the least.
We out ran em??? !!
Huh...
The might U S Navy is turning and running from pirates in skiffs????? WTF????
Read a bit ... learn the facts ...
Have a nice day
Did someone forget about the USS Cole? 17 American sailors dead?
I meant for guarding the ammo.
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