BREAKING. US Navy Rescues Hijacked Israeli-Managed Oil Tanker and Captures Houthi Pirates

Red State ^ | 11/26/2023 | Streiff

[SeekAndFind]

A US destroyer intercepted a hijacked Israeli-managed oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden earlier today, freed the crew, and took the Houthi pirates into custody. My colleague Jeff Charles covered the piracy in this post, High Seas Drama: Another Israeli Tanker Seized by Unidentified Attackers Near Yemen.

Shortly after dawn local time, the Central Park, a small Liberian-flagged oil and chemical tanker managed by an Israeli company registered in London, sent a distress call saying it was being boarded by armed men. The USS Mason, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, was operating in the area. According to reports, the Mason directed the crew to take refuge and not turn the ship over to the pirates. The Mason is part of the USS Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group; Pentagon Issues 'Prepare to Deploy' Orders to 2,000 US Troops – RedState.

According to Fox News's Jennifer Griffin:

The crew had locked themselves in the Citadel (safe room). A Japanese destroyer assisted the USS Mason with the interdiction. 2 Chinese  Navy warships in the area did not render assistance. The gunmen tried to beat down the door to the safe room but failed. The hijackers exited the vessel and were making their way back to the shores of Yemen when the US Navy personnel pursued and arrested them. Warning shots were fired by the U.S. Navy personnel and a U.S. helicopter gunship flew cover.

There are some interesting bits in this story. The two PLAN warships that ignored the distress call are part of a six-ship flotilla that rotates through the Persian Gulf, "The six warships are the Type 052D guided missile destroyers Zibo and Urumqi, the Type 054A guided missile frigates Jingzhou and Linyi, and the Type 903 integrated supply ships Qiandaohu and Dongpinghu." These ships seem to be part of a PLAN operation to get the Chinese Navy blue water experience and build proficiency in underway replenishment and refueling operations. The fact that they refused to acknowledge a distress call simply underscores the hostile nature of Chinese presence in any environment: political, economic, military, or academic.

The fact that the USS Mason was cleared to render aid may mark an escalation in how the Navy addresses the war by Houthi pirates on ships with any connection to Israel. The Navy has become more aggressive in engaging Houthi missiles and drones, so upping the pressure on their piracy operation would be a logical move.

[rktman]

Was at USS Mason commissioning in Port Canaveral. Way to go sailors!

🙏🇺🇸🇮🇱👍

[tennmountainman]

Hope the killed all the Pirates

[Long Jon No Silver]

Indeed, but there will be some on FR who will say it is wasting U.S tax payer money on someone else’s problem. Well hello! Piracy on the high seas is costly to the consumer. Nip it in the bud

[aMorePerfectUnion]

—> I get the importance of keeping the sea lanes open. But once again the US is left with the bill

Agree.

And risked American lives to do it.

[ladyjane]

You make a good point. Plus this operation gives intelligence and good experience to the Navy. All the vessels operating in the Mediterranean will be better prepared to deal with these situations.

[ladyjane]

There just might have been some Marines involved in this operation too!

[SunkenCiv]

Instead of taking them into custody, dribble a trail of blood in the water as the ship moves, then when the sharks get there, throw them overboard.

[Billthedrill]

No yardarms anymore, dang it. For one thing, nothing to hang pirates from. For another, there’s no way for a boarding party to swing over with a cutlass between their teeth. No cutlasses, either. And no rum. Why, in my day...

[Cen-Tejas]

The US could send the ship owner a bill and if they didn’t pay it the US could put a lien on the ship. Naturally, that would be contested but it needs to be tested.

During discussions, the US lawyer could tell the owners “ok” next time your own your own”.

[TigersEye]

“Yo ho ho and a can of Bud Light” just isn’t the same. :(

[dagunk]

No yardarms anymore, dang it. For one thing, nothing to hang pirates from. For another, there’s no way for a boarding party to swing over with a cutlass between their teeth. No cutlasses, either. And no rum. Why, in my day...

******************************************

Sailors are creative. Let them run with it, but don’t tell the lawyers.

[Reno89519]

Once they are interrogated, they should be hung until dead

[Reno89519]

With Biden, he’s likely to resettle them in the US with benefits

[SVTCobra03]

Si vis pacem, para bellum

[EinNYC]

Turn the pirates into shark snax.

[Eleutheria5]

Walk the plank, ye scurvy swabs.

[QBFimi]

Captured? Captured? Pirates captured? Yeah, that’ll teach ‘em.

[Eleutheria5]

15 men on a dead man’s chest still works.

[Eleutheria5]

You try swinging around with an AK47 between your teeth. It hurts.

[Dr. Franklin]

Kill all the pirates except one. He is the witness to warn the others.

A few years back the Russians caught some Somali Pirates. They didn't arrest them. They just set them adrift in their little boat in the middle of the sea.