Posted on 04/13/2009 8:55:29 AM PDT by Delacon
The operation to rescue Capt. Richard Phillips involved dozens of Navy SEALs, who parachuted from an aircraft into the scene near dark Saturday, landing in the ocean. The SEALs were part of a group of Special Operations forces involved in the effort, according to military officials.
The SEALs set up operations on the USS Bainbridge, which had been communicating with the four pirates via radio and had used smaller boats to make deliveries of food and water to their lifeboat. Yet the pirates were growing increasingly agitated, the officials said. At one point Saturday, the pirates opened fire on one of the smaller U.S. Navy craft that approached.
As the seas grew rougher, the Bainbridge offered to tow the lifeboat to calmer waters, and the pirates agreed, linking up the lifeboat to the destroyer with a towing cable that left 75 to 80 feet between the two vessels. Phillips at the time was tied up in the lifeboat, having been bound -- and occasionally beaten -- by the pirates ever since he had attempted to escape by jumping into the water on Friday, the officials said.
Meanwhile, one of the pirates, estimated to be between 16 and 20 years old, asked to come aboard the Bainbridge to make a phone call. He had been stabbed in the hand during an altercation with the crew of the Maersk Alabama and needed medical care. "He effectively gave himself up," a senior military official said. The Navy then allowed that pirate to speak with the others in hopes that he could persuade them to give up.
The three other pirates, however, showed signs of growing irritation, as the Bainbridge, 18 miles from shore, towed the lifeboat further out to sea, the senior military official said. "They had no promise of
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
He may have to go on another ‘we are one world tour’
more bowing in homage will be needed to clear this episode up.
There there will be additional and severe funding cuts of the military.... starting with the shut down of sniper schools.
” explained that Obama issued a standing order that the military was to act if the captain’s life was in immediate danger.”
Was this immediately after Phillips was taken on Wed ?
Or was this Friday night at 9:30 during the pizza party ?
If the latter, why the wait ?
Were different orders given prior to Fri night ?
We should bill them...likely would be cheaper than the ransom they were going to pay...sic the IRS on them....
Some.
Just wait a bit,....the Media will soon have another article giving us a detailed timeline as to how Obama pulled off this marvelous operation...with help from the (Hated ) Military....
The media is getting close to saying exactly that!
I like how we are supposed to rely and believe what the media says happened. I don’t know what went down and I hope that we would not come out and specify exactly every step that we took. Only that the three Pirates are DEAD.
My apologies for questioning your observations and subsequent opinion.No it doesnt, hence the comment.
Add to that the comment above about the short tow, prop wash etc and I think the three shot scenario stated looks even more miraculous.
Not second guessing anything, just looking at the details.
This covered it for me in the article, thus my comment to you:
It was not a miracle, it was excellent training....two pirates moved to one of the hatches of the lifeboat and stuck their heads out. The third pirate advanced toward the captain and pointed his AK-47 straight at Phillips's back, the rifle touching it or inches away, the official said.
U.S. military observers thought that Phillips was about to be shot. SEAL snipers, who were positioned on a deck at the stern of the Bainbridge, an area known as the fantail, had the three pirates in their sights.
Not that some can't have the opinion of a miracle, no prob.
To an ordinary citizen like me, to be trained to do a job like that so well is just almost unbelievable.
Having a good friend who is the mother of a SEAL, nothing they do surprises me though.
To answer your other question, "If you could see Phillips, wouldn't that mean he'd be in the line of fire too ? "
No
...from all that lice in their dinky dangle dens.
it could be they were comming off their “cott” drugs.
Supposedly all those pirates are just addicted to drugs and the drugs cause them to spontaneously become pirates.
Whoraldo was trying to blame the drugs as the source of all the paranoia.
In all seriousness, would not a comming off drugs cause an addict to be agitated?
I would imagine the pirates doing the taking are the “expendibles” with the real pirate brains safe far away from the ships. Life is cheep outside the USA.
I disagree. I like being a US citizen(and am willing to pay for it) knowing that unlike with most other countries, if some foreign group messes with me or my fellow citizens, the might of the US may come raining down on their heads. Not for nothing this is a rare occurence done to US vessels. Lets not forget there are over 240 hostages from other countries right now in Somalia, the result of non stop pirating on other countries(who do virtually nothing, hats of to the french though) shipping.
No, Obama wasn't even "present" then.
Or was this Friday night at 9:30 during the pizza party ?
Ha ha, LOL! Are you kidding? Obama salivated all during his pizza makers flight.
If the latter, why the wait ?
One word: "Present" Obama
Were different orders given prior to Fri night ?
I don't think Obama had gotten his orders from his handlers yet at that time.
Disclaimer: All answers given tongue-in-cheek with no real knowledge of same, but possibly correct
I'd gladly pay that part.
theyre all cross trained
For some reason "Whack a Mole" comes to mind......LO! Nice shooting guys!
Regarding U.S. Navy SEALS:
To find them you have to be smart,
To catch them you have to be quick,
To beat them...you've got to be kidding!
.....seals are crossed trained in most aspects of each "job".....
.....individual seal teams do however, have specialty mission capabilities.....
.....it's actually, "the only easy day was yesterday".....
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