Pirates fire at U.S. Navy ship off Somalia

Reuters ^ | May 7, 2009

[Oldeconomybuyer]

MANAMA (Reuters) - Pirates have fired small arms weapons at a U.S. Navy supply ship off the coast of Eastern Somalia, the first attack of this kind since last year's surge in pirate attacks, the U.S. Navy said on Thursday.

The USNS Lewis and Clark was chased for about an hour on Wednesday morning by two pirates skiffs, but neither came closer than about one nautical mile to the U.S. vessel, the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet said in a statement.

The small arms fire fell well short of the U.S. ship which speeded up to evade the skiffs.

The USNS Lewis and Clark earlier served as a temporary detention facility for suspected pirates arrested at sea, but its operations are now limited to providing supplies to other U.S. ships operating in the area.

Somali pirates have increased their activities in recent weeks, defying the presence of international navies in the area.

[lormand]

I’m thinking 50 cal sniper rifle with special rounds. One shot in the right place and you drown all of the scum.

[GonzoGOP]

Military fuels are chosen and compounded in order to be immune to kenetic impact.

Thats why I specifically talked about RPGs. The hot copper jet will set of most military explosives. After all that is exactly what it is designed to do when it hits a tank, set off the ammo or the fuel. Like you said it depends on how many compartments are between the ammo and the outer hull, and what is in those compartments, hopefully something that doesn't burn, or that the fire suppression (I would hope an ammo ship would have the best there is) can handle quickly. When you are dealing with the rocket fuel used in the reloads for the Standard SAMs or the Tomahawk boosters a fire is just as bad as an explosion. Obviously I don't know their exact manifest, but if they were supporting DDGs and FFGs it isn't hard to imagine they would have some missiles aboard.

As for the small arms you are correct that those can be discounted. An 7.62 x 39 isn't going to do much more than scratch the paint & dent the hull plates.

That of course assumes you don't get boarded. Any kind of a firefight on board an ammo ship is probably a bad idea. The pirates might be dumb enough to start throwing grenades around.

[Constitution Day]

The Keyboard Kommandos gots a navy now!

LMAO!!!

[punchamullah]

The M-2s carried on board the USNS, manned by the military contingent on board, most certainly would blow the brigands’ skiff to pieces.

[Secret Agent Man]

I am sure they could have, but I am also sure they are under orders to avoid conflicts with the pirates when possible. Not their orders, but Obama’s.

[LRS]

I have the feeling the pirates knew this ship was a :

[calex59]

Thats embarrassing. Thats like watching my son run from a schoolhouse bully. Just sad.

Any USNS ship is NOT an armed naval ship, but a merchant ship used to haul troops and supplies. They ran because they are not armed and the other option would have been to allow the pirates to board.

I notice the article fails to mention that and probably because they want most people to think the pirates scared a US naval warship away, just what you and others on this thread thought, you fell into their trap. Apparently you were never transported aboard a USNS vessel, such as the notable Patch and Gordon of days gone by!

[GonzoGOP]

First two points completely valid. It would be a long shot for the RPG to hit the mag. My point was on a ship with no armor, nothing bigger than a ma deuce, a relatively small crew to fight fires, and holds full of ammo and fuel you don't go charging into battle. That's why the supply ship is supposed to be escorted.

As to the third point, no the amount of explosive in the warhead isn't important. It just has to be enough to set off something in the mag. Up until WWII several warships had been lost due to electrical sparks in the magazines. Have you seen those pictures of an RPG hitting a loaded tank. At first there is just a little puff of smoke, that's the RPG. Then the ammo in the tank cooks off and the turret goes flying. Now the M-1 has the ammo stored away from the crew, so just the back of the turret blows off, but still the explosion isn't from the RPG, it just sets off the ammo that is already there.

One minor point, the Arizona was a bomb hit, she isn't believed to have taken any torpedoes due to Vestal being moored outside her. Oklahoma, California and West Virginia went down to torpedoes

[budwiesest]

What would be really cool would be to have an F-18 buzz right over their heads at about 500 mph. Some pictures I’ve seen of Fleet Week in San Francisco have jets doing just that and the turbulence on the water is amazing.

[OB1kNOb]

The small arms fire fell well short of the U.S. ship which speeded up to evade the skiffs.

What's this called? The "tuck tail and run" maneuver? We are SO doomed as a nation.

[NappyOne]

Brings to mind this scene in “The Longest Day”:

Major General Gunther Blumentritt: [in German] “This is history. We are living an historical moment. We are going to lose the war because our glorious Führer has taken a sleeping pill and is not to be awakened. Sometimes I wonder which side God is on.”

I guess our armed forces have to hope The One never sleeps.

The NappyOne

[Cicero]

Well, it’s a supply ship, not a combat ship. But if they were being attacked by small arms, then you’d think they could shoot back even as they kept their distance.

I suspect we are back to the Obama Rules of Engagement: “Shooting back at pirates even in self defense ist verboten.”

[GonzoGOP]

What would be really cool would be to have an F-18 buzz right over their heads at about 500 mph. Some pictures I’ve seen of Fleet Week in San Francisco have jets doing just that and the turbulence on the water is amazing.

Heck if you have an F/A-18 available just use the 20mm, thats even cooler. The sharks would need to use a tea strainer to get lunch:) The problem was we had our support ship in hostile waters with no air cover, and no ships escorting it. If Obama is to cheap to give them a dedicated escort just send one of the two helicopters the L&C carries to shore and embark a Marine air crew and a Cobra gunship. More than enough to keep the pirates out of range.

[ArmstedFragg]

They had a contingent of Marines embarked when they were serving as a detention ship, but they’re probably gone now. Given that they’re carrying ammunition that we’d rather not have fall into the pirates’ hands, it might make some sense to give them some new ‘cruise passengers’.

[ArrogantBustard]

‘cruise passengers’

I have no doubt that a few of Uncle Sam's Misguided Children could be persuaded to embark on a "fishing expedition" ... trolling for pirates. It's in their blood.

< singing >

... to the shores of Tripoli ...

[Former MSM Viewer]

Huh????

[<1/1,000,000th%]

The pirates might have had a rubber raft full of explosives and the President doesn’t want any pirates hurt.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Possibly there is a new directive that Ship’s Captains have to contact a JAG who contacts the White House to get permission to return fire. No doubt the WH must make up “Rules of engagement” to micro-manage each incident.

Worked for LBJ in Vietnam.

[Francis McClobber]

You are correct in pointing out that it doesn’t take much to get ordnance to cook off. But the impetus has to get there to do the job. From that standpoint, comparing an RPG’s penetrating force on a ship’s hull to a torpedo or a 500 lb aerial delivery doesn’t quite add up. True, an RPG can rain a world of hurt down on a tank, but not a ship.

[GonzoGOP]

Possibly there is a new directive that Ship’s Captains have to contact a JAG who contacts the White House to get permission to return fire. No doubt the WH must make up “Rules of engagement” to micro-manage each incident.

Hey, we should just pile all the paperwork and forms around the outside of the ship to act as armor. Or use a catapult to throw bales of requisition and supply forms at the pirates. Tell them that they will not be allowed to attack a US ship unless they have filled out the forms showing that they are an oppressed minority and have permission from the state department. If their boat doesn't sink from the weight of the paper, we will be long gone before they fill out everything in triplicate. Oh and the have to fill out a 1099 for anything they loot, that's income you know. Obama may have handcuffed the Navy, but the IRS is still to be feared. /sarc.