Richard Phillips, kidnapped skipper of the U.S.-flagged vessel Maersk Alabama that was attacked by Somali pirates two days ago, tried to escape today, leaping into the water and swimming towards the U.S. Navy destroyer Bainbridge. But his captors — stranded along with Phillips in a lifeboat stolen from Alabama – fired their weapons and forced Phillips to swim back.
Bainbridge, pictured, could do nothing. She has no helicopter aboard — a huge screw-up on the Navy’s part — and was too far away to intervene while Phillips was in the water.
U.S. warships are rushing to the scene. So are vessels previously hijacked by pirates, some of them with hostages aboard. Hostages make rescue operations risky: a French captive died during France’s third military raid against pirates since 2008. The pirates holding Phillips are clearly hoping to surround the area with a ring of hostages, preventing U.S. action and allowing them to bring Phillips ashore, where he will become a human shield against major U.S. operations targeting pirates.
This is the showdown towards which the two-year-old Somali piracy crisis has been building. How the U.S. Navy handles it will, to a great extent, lay the groundwork for future military operations in Africa — and prove, or disprove, the Navy’s relevance to complex, legally murky security threats.
So far, the pirates are winning.
For background, see my recent C-SPAN vignette:
[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/rbJLYrMWUYk" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]
Update #1: Bainbridge is using drones (probably Scan Eagles) to monitor the lifeboat, while a frigate has arrived and added its helicopter to the mix. The USS Boxer assault ship is en route, with Marines and a large air wing. Presumably, there are Navy SEALs aboard Boxer. They will play a critical role in any raid.
Update #2: Navy SEALs have freed Phillips in a firefight that killed three pirates. One other pirate was captured. With just a few rounds, the Navy has proved it is serious about fighting pirates.
(Photo: Navy)
Related:
Esquire.com: Five Pirated Crews who Didn't Fare as Well as the Americans
Pirates Seize Ship with U.S. Crew
Wired.co.uk: Beating Somali Pirates at Their Own Game
Piracy War Escalates: Korean Seafarer Shot in Attack
Video: How the Littoral Combat Ship Will Fight Pirates
Offiziere.ch: Pirate Attacks Decline, but for How Long?
Proceedings: Defeating Somali Pirates on Land
Video: Kennedy Mwale’s Big (Pirate) Adventure
Who Watches the (Pirate) Watchers?
U.S. Navy Uses “Smart Power” to Fight Pirates
Exclusive Video: MV Faina Released by Pirates
Coast Guard: Prosecuting Pirates an “Excruciating Process”
Skewz: On the Trail of Pirates
C-SPAN: Somali Piracy Overview
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Coasties and Marines join Navy pirate-fighters
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Video: pirates hijack help
World mobilizes to fight pirates
Why robots can’t fight pirates
Navy’s new “soft” pirate-fighters
Pirate-fighting ship’s big problems
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Establishing a Somali coast guard?
Coast Guard’s tips for beating pirates
U.S. Navy Coordinates Counter-Piracy Fleets
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[...] Battleship Helpless to Save American Hostage 2009 April 10 by Mike Burleson David Axe provides details on why the giant destroyer USS Bainbridge stood idly by while pirate hostage Captain Richard Phillips attempted to escape his captors: Bainbridge… could do nothing. She has no helicopter aboard — a huge screw-up on the Navy’s part — and was too far away to intervene while Phillips was in the water. [...]
Wait…first we’re told that US Ships carry now Marine parties on board on a regular basis and now we’re told that this ship doesn’t have a helicopter?! And not only that we’re letting the Pirates reinforce?!
What the hell is going on over there?! Seriously, for all the Royal Navy’s faults (and there are many many many many faults which outnumber the positives by 100 to 1) at least they manage to have a chopper on their frigates and destroyers as well as Royal Marine party on board.
For the record, what exactly is a ship of the United States Navy supposed to do if boarded by a party of well armed, well trained and determined attackers like, say, Russian or Chinese special forces? They haven’t got any trained ‘warfighters’ (snerk) now do they?
[...] Now, in the wake of the attack on Maersk Alabama, Coastie Admiral Brian Salerno has this to add: Dealing with the problem at sea requires a comprehensive approach, including self protection measures by ships, and an effective legal regime for prosecution. … [O]f vital importance are the ongoing diplomatic efforts through the U.N. and the IMO, to enhance cooperation between governments, and to create and strengthen effective legal mechanisms to hold criminals accountable for their acts of piracy. Pirates must be made to face the consequences of their actions. The Coast Guard has been an active participant in these efforts. [...]