NAVY NEWS, MARCH 2011
5
RF99 ends 92-day hell en sin
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For this pirate ‘mother ship’ is actually a Yemeni fishing boat – with five of its crew held hostage by the 17 brigands since early November. T
end a 92-day reign of terror.
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AISING their arms in the air under the guns of HMS Cornwall, 17 Somali pirates surrender to the frigate – bringing to an
The fishermen have now been freed, the pirate skiffs (and all the associated piratical paraphernalia – two boarding ladders, powerful outboard motors, fuel drums, and an arsenal including five rocket propelled grenades and automatic weapons) sent to Davy Jones’ Locker thanks to Cornwall’s boarding team. The Fighting 99 responded to a distress signal from a South Korean merchantman after the Yong Jin spotted the dhow acting su
suspiciously.
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evidence of pirate activity. Further investigation revealed that five of the men were Yemenis, the rightful masters of the dhow. They’d been held prisoner by the Somalis since November 11.
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from attacking the Yong Jin, then prepared to board with the ship’s Lynx hovering overhead. It was, said Cornwall’s CO Cdr David Wilkinson, “a very slick operation”. The team from Fleet Protection Group Royal ines found 22 souls on board and plenty of
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The freebooters had then turned the dhow into their mother ship, ranging around the Horn of Africa, using three skiffs to carry out pirate raids.
“Our presence had a hugely-significant effect on the lives of the five Yemeni fishermen,” said Cdr Wilkinson. “They’ve been freed from more than three months of
pirate activity and can now return to their families.” With no legal powers to detain the pirates, only to destroy their kit, the ship returned the Somalis to their native land before resuming her mission as the flagship of Co
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Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden. fo
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The pirate bust came at the end of an eventful few days for the Type 22 frigate which has seen her work alongside a string of friends, old and new (well, newer).
by Pakistan’s Cdre Aleem and his staff, and when Shah Jahan joined 151, it allowed a bit of an Anglo-Pakistani get together.
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the Pakistani fl ag as PNS Shah Jahan. The task force Cornwall leads is currently headed
First up an encounter with HMS Active – today fl ying The Type 22 stopped the battered vessel
While the Shah Jahan’s Alouette helicopter ferried Cdre Aleem to the Pakistani frigate, Cornwall ship’s company enjoyed a rather more basic form of transport to take them across to the new arrival (ie sea boat). A number of sailors from both ships ‘cross-polled’ for a glimpse of life in the respective navies, among them ET(WE) Sam Cassidy. He’s too young to have served on Type 21 frigates... but he knows a man who did. “It was amazing being in a ship that my father knew so well and that I had visited as a little boy – the memories came fl ooding back,” he said.
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“I’ve taken loads of photos for my dad and can’t wait to tell him all about it! And it was great to see her in such good shape and at the centre of Pakistan navy operations.” Active was laid down 40 years ago and served under the White Ensign, earning battle honours in the Falklands, until 1994 when she was sold to Pakistan.
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Shah Jahan crew were given a tour of the ship, received briefi ngs on the current state of play in the fi ght against piracy and watched Cornwall’s upper deck team demonstrate how to deal with a small surface contact, while the Fighting 99’s Royal Marines boarding party worked with their Pakistani counterparts.
operational side to the rendezvous: as Shah Jahan has only recently joined CTF 151 this was an ideal opportunity for her key personnel to be brought up to date with activity in the region, including intelligence and situational briefs and some boarding training. More poignant was the last exercise in tandem with
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another Type 22, joining forces with HMS Cumberland in the Gulf of Oman (see page 15 for more about that). Fresh from those rendezvous, time for an encounter with another well-known comrade. This time the Indian Ocean meet-up was with HMS Richmond, new to the area as she begins European Union humanitarian duties. As the Type 23 has just arrived in
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Pirate Alley, while the Fighting 99 is an old hand, Richmond called upon Cornwall’s expertise.
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Her command team received a thorough briefi ng on the latest information regarding brigandage in the region from Cdr Wilkinson and his team.
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Numbers helped and charitable spend to date 4159 and £978,576
As for Richmond, she’s attached to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) under the direction of Spain’s Rear Admiral Juan Rodríguez. As part of her wider anti-piracy mission, the newly-
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arrived frigate will shepherd aid ships into Somalia. Richmond has been charged with escorting ships through the pirate gauntlet to ports in Somalia as part of the UN World Food Programme; half the Somali population depends upon these deliveries for their survival.
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for many of the sailors in HMS Richmond, knowing that they have a key part to play in some of the most important events of today,” said the frigate’s Commanding Offi cer Capt Mike Walliker. Before the rendezvous with Chatham, Richmond had paid a short visit to Djibouti – a fi rst for many of the Type 23’s ship’s company. As well as the usual tasks – maintenance, calls on local
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leaders and discussions about Richmond’s impending mission in the Indian Ocean – there were runs out for the warship’s rugby and football teams.
“It is this challenge that provides the greatest reward
Men and women in the Royal Marines and Royal Navy serve their country, often at times of danger: the RNBT serves them and their families, at times of need, throughout their lives. Your donations help us to help them.
The Royal Naval Benevolent Trust Castaway House, 311 Twyford Avenue, Portsmouth PO2 8RN t 023 9269 0112 f 023 9266 0852 e
rnbt@rnbt.org.uk w
www.rnbt.org.uk
Apart from the meet ‘n’ greets and tours, there was an
pictures: la(phot) dave jenkins, frpu east
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