Editor’s note: We have closed comments on this post, after scrubbing several vitriolic comments. Readers associated with Donald Cook seem to think we are trying to portray the crew, and the Navy in general, as a bunch of no-good alcoholics. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Read the post carefully. Clearly our aim was to demonstrate how difficult the conditions are in East Africa for naval operations. That Donald Cook and other vessels manage to perform their missions, despite the hardships, is testimony to the professionalism of their crews.
Original post: A year after Somali piracy peaked with more than 100 ships attacked, the world’s navies have assembled dozens of warships to combat the threat. David Axe joins the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook in Djibouti, to observe firsthand this “global war on piracy.”
by DAVID AXE
The 250 sailors aboard the 9,000-ton destroyer USS Donald Cook have been at sea since mid July. They crossed the Atlantic. They crossed the Med. Today they patrol the Gulf of Aden as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2. Their mission: to deter and interdict Somali pirates that have attacked hundreds of vessels since 2008.
It’s gritty work in hot, dirty conditions. “Mostly visual,” is how Ensign Justin Kelly, the officer in charge of the ship’s turbine engines, described it. In high-seas combat with another navy, you can paint them with radar from a hundred miles away. But suspected pirates: you’ve got to get in close, in crowded waters, scrutinize them, weigh intentions.
Pirates thrive in lawless conditions. The same conditions aren’t exactly ideal for a high-tech Aegis destroyer like Donald Cook, called “DC” by her crew. Her systems and machinery break, and she has to sail all the way to Dubai for proper repairs. Even food can be hard to get. The Navy’s Combat Logistics Force — the tankers and cargo ships that resupply warships at sea — doesn’t spend much time in the Gulf of Aden. So DC has to pull into port herself when she runs out of fruit and vegetables. Today she tied up to the pier in Djibouti, near a German frigate whose Lynx helicopter buzzed overhead.
All the ports in and around the Gulf of Aden are austere, at best. Djibouti’s seaport sure beats Oman’s Wild West ports, but that doesn’t mean Djibouti’s some kind of garden spot. There’s a local AIDS epidemic, it’s dirty, it’s hot and the air is choked with insects. But there’s an American base in town. At Camp Lemonier, home of the Pentagon’s Horn of Africa task force, most of DC’s crew will take a short liberty tonight, drink three beers, check their email. The beer’s most welcome. In three months, DC has had just six days in port — most of those in Muslim ports during Ramadan. In other words, no alcohol. “Sailors without beer is a bad idea,” one DC officer said.
Somali pirate attacks are down this year, compared to last. The weather? A changing piracy market? No one is sure why. But you’ve got to assume that the presence of some 20 40 warships, including Donald Cook, is a factor. And that means there are lots of hot, hard, beerless days to come for American sailors.
DC’s experiences raise some important issues. Might a bigger logistics force be a better way to boost the Navy’s overall combat power than more warships? If 3,000-ton Littoral Combat Ships are eventually going to take over the counter-piracy mission, how will they manage, in light of their limited stores capacity? Naval operations in African waters are all about logistics, logistics, logistics. Are we taking the right steps to ensure we can feed and fuel a sustained presence?
(Photo: David Axe)
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[...] Even Battleships Need Motherships 2009 September 23 tags: destroyer, motherships, new battleships, piracy by Mike Burleson The following goes along with a debate we’ve been having in the comments about the utility of logistical motherships, and whether small ships with their smaller stores and weapons load are adequate for the rigors of sea duty. Well, according to journalist David Axe, embedded with the International Piracy Patrol off Somalia on the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Donald Cook, such large multi-mission warships have their limitations as well: The Navy’s Combat Logistics Force — the tankers and cargo ships that resupply warships at sea — doesn’t spend much time in the Gulf of Aden. So DC has to pull into port herself when she runs out of fruit and vegetables. Today she tied up to the pier in Djibouti, near a German frigate whose Lynx helicopter buzzed overhead… [...]
Wow,
Were is the
USNS San Jose (AFS-7)
USNS Rainier (T-AOE-7)
USNS ARCTIC
USNS BRIDGE
USNS SUPPLY
Plus the entire Lewis and Clark Class,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lewis_and_Clark_class_dry_cargo_ship
If we don’t have enough ship to do resuply them maybe we should retain or reactivate some ships in
Don’t forget about those criminal gangs in Yemen supplying weapons to jihadists. The Yemen costies are at a loss for ships. The Saada cartel in Yemen is running a gun runners paradise untouched by Yemens or any other countries conterterrorism forces… for now anyways…
This is really shocking…My husband just told me (hes on that ship) that when they passed that town there were dead bodies and people defecating on the side of the road and using their hand as toilet paper. It’s really sad how the world is outside of America we really are fortunate!
You argue about whether US Navy ships being out here is the right thing. Whether it’s the right thing or not we are here. This article shows some of the conditions that US Military members have to endure but it doesn’t even give you half of the picture. Spending a few days onboard a ship is not long enough to see the real picture let alone verbalize it. Most sailors spend their entire Naval career without ever finding the proper way to verbalize what they have gone through. They know what they have seen and done but unless it’s easy to show it’s not so easy to talk about. There are so many what I call Micro Journalists out there that 9/10′s of American society have no clue about, yet they are the ones taking a major interest in the US Military and it’s service overseas. They are the ones questioning the morality on whether floating around in the middle of the ocean is neccessary and sustainable. I appreciate the time spent in trying to look into the subject but time is better spent elsewhere because mass society today does not care what is going on outside of their sports and fast food restaurants. They don’t bother to waste their time looking up stories like this to see what is happening unless they actually know someone that is directly connected to the story in some way. And even then they turn the focus to the squalor that other countries are living in when we have the same conditions in our own. We are doing our job out here point blank, whether it is neccessary or not I will not comment on. What I will comment on is that we need more reporters in main stream journalism to take an interest in some of these topics and to try to get it across to mainstream America, without making it look like a humanitarian piece. We are not out here to give a damn about the conditions of another country, we are out here because another country has threatened our freedom and our lives. Plain and simple. That’s my point.
We all greatly appreciate the fact that we, as a collective crew, are all incompetent alcoholics. That we have to wait for parts to do our jobs even though we spend countless hours working and are undermanned, and under funded. Yes we may have to wait to get the proper parts but we sure as hell don’t just sit on our asses waiting, we are doing what we can to keep our systems running. I would like to know where the quote “sailors without beer is a bad idea” came from because majority of the crew hasn’t even worried about drinking. They would rather spend their time catching up on the sleep they are missing becuase they are fixing and maintaining our equipment. Or spending their time trying to call home to speak to their families that they have been away from since July. We don’t pick the conditions that we are working under, we are just working and doing our job. We deal with what we need to, and if once in a great while someone wants to enjoy a nice drink with their meal then they are damn well entitled to it.
[...] That’s the voice from the pilot house of the destroyer USS Donald Cook, as the 9,000-ton vessel prepares to depart Djibouti. It’s bright and early on September 24th. After a night of liberty at Camp Lemonier in this squalid East African country, it’s time to get back to work. The warship, known as “DC” to her crew, is part of the NATO maritime group protecting the Gulf of Aden from Somali pirates. Today, DC will rendezvous with the British escort HMS Cornwall for a face-to-face with the group commodore, before heading off to DC’s own patrol box. [...]
I liked Oman much better than Djibuti, even during Ramadan.
This ship is high tech and its repairs are conducted by its crew. We have not sailed to Dubai or any other port for repairs, all repairs were conducted onboard by its sailors. This ship despite being undermanned has met its mission time and time again. This article makes it seems as though we are out here like a bunch of drunks going through withdrawl symptoms. This ship has never come close to running out of food. We have been low but thats to be expected when operating in this area. We have always been able to get supplies when needed. This article says nothing of the hard work this crew is doing or the sacrifices that they are making every day to keep the ship running to meet any mission it may have.
I am a proud father of a crew member on the DC. I have had a chance to speak with him during his duty on the ship and never once has he been negative as to loss of sleep of lack of alcohol. He is doing his duty that he signed up to do and am very proud of all the people on board for their service to our country. Keep it up Sailors!!
i have to say i am very disappointed how you represent this crew. i serve on a hell of a ship with a great group of sailors and sure we dont have the easiest life out here but it works for us.
the fact that that you portrayed us as petty college kids who think about nothing other then when we will get our next beer shows me you didn’t even talk to us. we have husbands/wives children that we think about much more often than beer.
we don’t have to pull in for stores….we take on stores at sea all the time. we pull in to pick up persons like yourself that in my opinion we should have left sitting on shore.
and there hasn’t been any breakdowns. thanks for freaking out or families w/misinformation. much appreciated.
I’d like to know who Victoria Anderson’s husband is. There’s only two Anderson’s on board and they both claim that you aren’t their wife
haha, one of the Andersons is mine. I think that its crazy the things that yall have to go though but I have yet to hear a negitive thing out of a sailor. Im glad that you guys can hold your heads high, and get the job done. Looking forward to a visit home.
His name is Willam Michael Anderson and I just talked to him hes not on the DDG I just got the ship wrong I’m sorry for all the confusion!
My son is also on the Donald Cook and I am very proud of him and all his shipmates! They are doing an amazing job, and yes it is a job. They aren’t complaining about the long hours, the work, or for missing their beer! They are making it a better country for all of us. Maybe some people don’t get that. Next time you want to criticize, don’t do it towards our sons and daughters,husbands or wives, or some child’s mom or dad. They are doing their duty and doing it well. We all love our freedom…..thank a vet, active and inactive…maybe it will make their day to know how much they are appreciated and loved!!!!
Thank you and we can’t wait for everyones safe return!
My Grandson is on Donald Cook and I am very proud of him and his shipmates. They are keeping us safe.I will be glad when D C get back home. Keep up the good works. You ALL are in my prayers.
Janet
[...] USS Donald Cook — “DC” to her crew — has already tested out Chick’s new intel method, and other ships might do the same, as counter-piracy operations evolve. “There’s a bit of hearts and minds there, as well,” Chick says, adding that a visible warship presence can encourage the vast majority of Somalis who oppose piracy, but have been cowed by the sea bandits’ wealth and aggression. DC routinely sends boarding teams to talk to friendly Somali fishermen, “asking what they’ve seen and what they know” regarding pirates, Chick says. As the intel approach gains acceptance, this kind of interaction will only grow in importance. [...]
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