A Sailor aboard a safety boat observes a visit, board, search and seizure team, assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd, board the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai. The Kidd's VBSS team detained 15 suspected pirates, who were holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks, according to the members of the crew. The Kidd is conducting counter-piracy and maritime security operations while deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Forces assigned to the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, rescued an Iranian fishing vessel from Pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, Jan. 5.

At approximately 12:30 p.m, an SH-60S Seahawk from the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai. Simultaneously, a distress call was received from the master of the Al Molai claiming he was being held captive by pirates.

A Visit, Board, Search and Seizure team from the Kidd boarded the Al Molai and detained 15 suspected pirates who had been holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for several weeks. The Al Molai had been pirated and used as a “mother ship” for pirate operations throughout the Persian Gulf, according to members of the Iranian vessel’s crew.

The pirates did not resist the boarding and surrendered quickly.

“The Al Molai had been taken over by pirates for roughly the last 40-45 days,” said Josh Schminky, a Navy Criminal Investigative Service agent aboard the Kidd. “They were held hostage, with limited rations, and we believe were forced against their will to assist the pirates with other piracy operations.”

According to members of the Kidd boarding party, the Iranian crew said they were forced by the pirates to live in harsh conditions, under the threat of violence with limited supplies and medical aid.

“When we boarded, we gave them food, water, and medical care,” said Schminky. “They had been through a lot. We went out of our way to treat the fishing crew with kindness and respect.”

Guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd responded to a distress call from the master of the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai, who stated he was held captive by pirates.

“After securing the ship and ensuring the safety of all persons on board, we began distributing food and water to both the crew and the suspected criminals as is our standard practice in Counter-Piracy operations,” said Schminky. The pirates were detained on the Al Molai by the Kidd boarding party until the next morning when they could be transferred to the USS John C. Stennis where the matter will be reviewed for prosecution. The pirates currently remain on the Stennis.

“The Captain of the Al Molai expressed his sincere gratitude that we came to assist them. He was afraid that without our help, they could have been there for months,” said Schminky.

A U.S. Navy SH-60S Seahawk provides support to a visit, board, search and seizure team in a 7-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat, assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd. The VBSS team boarded an Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai after the dhow's master stated he was being held captive by pirates. The Kidd's VBSS team detained 15 suspected pirates who were reportedly holding a 13-member Iranian crew hostage for the last two months.

Piracy is an international problem that requires an international solution and is a threat to all mariners. The presence of U.S. Navy ships in this region promotes freedom of navigation and protects the safety of those who transit the sea.

The John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group is conducting maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations while supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

Navy – Central Command

Marine assault force moves to board Magellan Star. Click for a larger image.

Just after dawn on September 9, 24 Marines in two boats approached the Merchant Vessel (M/V) Magellan Star. She had been dead in the water since being boarded by an unknown number of pirates the day before. The ship’s captain had been in contact with the Marines by cell phone until early that morning when the phone died on him.

The events of this raid were described to reporters by LtCol. Joseph R. Clearfield, unit commander. The pirated ship had been traveling in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), patrolled by CTF-151.

First on scene had been the flagship of CTF-151, TCG Gökçeada, the anti-piracy taskforce supported by the United States. The Turkish frigate arrived about an hour after the distress call went out from the Magellan Star. The U.S. cruiser Princeton and amphibious landing ship Dubuque arrived by mid-afternoon on the 8th.

The ship’s captain told the military that he and his crew were safe, in a “citadel”. They were barricaded in an auxiliary control space and had food and water.

The pirates were contacted by both radio and loudspeaker. They brandished weapons and made threats. At one point they told the surrounding ships “Go away or we will burn you!”

Pirates seen on board MV Magellan Star before Marine assault. Click for a larger image.

Overnight, the commander of the Battalion Landing Team 1/4, 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit, received the “go” order to attempt an assault. It was a mission that the Recon Marines had practiced over a dozen times in the last few months.

With helicopter circling overhead, and snipers in overwatch, the first wave of Marines took off for the captured vessel. There were no pirate boats tied to the ship, and one skiff had been found adrift by the Turks earlier.

1st Battalion 4th Marines Snipers in overwatch as fellow Marines assautl pirated vessel. Click for a larger image.

The first move was to the bridge. One pirate surrendered immediately upon seeing the Marines and called two other out to surrender.

The Marines then smashed in the bridge windows and the four pirates that remained surrendered.

As the Marines cleared the ship, they surprised another pirate and tackled him to the ground. The ninth and final pirate barricaded himself in a room. Breeching tools and a “flashbang” grenade were used to effect his capture.

The stairways and passageways of the superstructure were fouled with equipment and furniture by the pirates in an effort to delay the Marines. Below decks, the Marines found a more complex and thorough set of blockages, created by the ship’s crew. The pirates were all in custody in about an hour but it would take Marines nearly another two hours to reach the crew.

In the end, a hole was cut in a bulkhead and the ship’s captain was shown an American flag. At that point the crew left their safe haven. Marines discovered that the crew had prepared a series of three fallback positions, in the event the pirates had reached them.

Other than minor cuts and scrapes, neither the crew nor the pirates sustained any injuries. No Marines or Navy personnel were injured. No shots were fired and only a “flashbang” grenade was expended.

Naval personnel from the USS Dubuque assisted the ship’s crew with repairs. From the time the assault began until the Magellan Star was underway to her destination, only seven hours had passed.

Marines and freed crew of MV Magellan Star. Click for a larger image.

Nearly 80 Marines participated in successive waves of the assault. Once the pirates were captured, an agent of the NCIS and a criminal investigator worked with other American personnel to process the crime scene. The Marines involved have all given statements.

Five operable AK-47′s, automatic weapons, and nine magazines were seized. Bladed weapons and breeching equipment were also taken from the pirates. Several spent cartridges were discovers that indicated that the pirates had fired some shots while on board.

When asked to comment about the restraint shown by his Marines, raid commander Captain Alexander Martin pointed to their high level of training, discipline and their previous experience with multiple deployments in Iraq or Afghanistan. He told reporters “This is not their first rodeo”.

Marine unit that freed captive ship

Combined Maritime Task Force (CTF) 151 flagship, TCG Gökçeada, background, a Turkish frigate, and USS Dubuque (LPD 8), left, wait as U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force, embarked on Dubuque board and seize control of the Antigua-Barbuda-flagged, German-owned vessel M/V Magellan Star. early Sept. 9 after pirates attacked and boarded the vessel Sept. 8. Photo by Cryptologic Technician 2nd Class William Farmerie. Click for a larger image.

Marines versus pirates, a battle as old as the Marine Corps itself. In the Marine Hymn, the “shores of Tripoli” refers to Marine action against pirates at the dawn of our nation. The battle continues today off the coast of Somalia.

MV Magellan Star radioed a distress call on September 8, 2010. The flagship of the anti-piracy task force CTF-151, TCG Gökçeada, a Turkish frigate, was the first ship on scene. U.S.S. Dubuque and Princeton followed. The U.S.S. Dubuque carries a Maritime Raid Force from the 15th MEU.

At sunrise, the Marines boarded the captured vessel. When they were finished, nine Somali pirates were captured. No injuries to marines or ship’s crew were reported. The pirates will remain in custody.

Helicopters from USS Dubuque provide aerial watch as U.S. Marines from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit’s Maritime Raid Force, embarked on Dubuque, right, boarded and seized control of Antigua and Barbuda-flagged, German-owned vessel M/V Magellan Star, left, early Sept. 9. Photo by Cryptologic Technician 2nd Class William Farmerie. Click for a larger image.

Members of a visit, board, search and seizure team from the guided-missile destroyer USS McFaul inspect the Indian-flagged Faize Osamani. The dhow was a suspected pirate mothership accused of firing small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades at Motor Vessel Rising Sun. The Sailors took ten suspected pirates into custody and rescued eight crewmembers that had escaped from the dhow.

USS McFaul captured ten suspected pirates and rescued eight crewmembers from the pirated Indian cargo dhow Faize Osamani, near Salalah, Oman, April 5 after the dhow and three skiffs attempted to attack the Motor Vessel Rising Sun the same day.

M/V Rising Sun sent a distress call the morning of April 5 to alert maritime forces that pirate skiffs had pulled alongside and were firing small-arms and rocket propelled grenades at their vessel. The Omani warship Al Sharquiyah and United States destroyer USS McFaul immediately responded.

As the naval vessels were in transit, M/V Rising Sun used the industry recommended “best management practices” of increasing speed, evasive maneuvers and spraying potential attackers with fire hoses to thwart the pirate attack as the navies were in transit. These efforts were rewarded when the pirate skiffs broke off their attack and returned to their pirated mother ship, the Faize Osamani.

Arriving first to the last known location of the pirated mothership was the Omani vessel. As the Omani ship approached, the nine hostage sailors from Faize Osamani jumped into the ocean in an attempt to get away from the dangerous pirates and toward their rescuer. The Oman navy was able to rescue eight of these crewmembers, however, one crew member drowned. Despite the loss of their hostages, the pirates remained aboard the Faize Osamani.

As the Omani ship rendered assistance to the escaped hostages, USS McFaul arrived on scene. With two warships now operating in close proximity, the pirates agreed to a compliant boarding. McFaul approached the dhow and directed the suspected pirates to surrender by gathering on the bow with their hands in the air, which they quickly complied with but not before being seen throwing their weapons overboard. Two boarding teams from McFaul deployed in rigid hull inflatable boats, boarded the dhow and took control of the Faize Osamani.

The surviving sailors of the dhow Faize Osamani have been returned to their vessel, while their lost shipmate has been transported to shore by the Omani warship. The suspected pirates were subsequently transferred to the United States destroyer USS Carney in anticipation of further transfer to a state willing to accept the pirates for prosecution.

Successful transit of the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin rests in the hands of those who sail the waters. An average of more than 20 ships from the Combined Maritime Forces, EUNAVFOR and NATO, and other independent nations work together every day to patrol the high risk areas and provide the maximum safety available for those sailing through these pirate-laden waters. However, it is incumbent upon owners and shipping companies to provide the best available protection for their ships by utilizing the shipping industry’s ‘best management practices’ as a proven means to minimizing the risk of a successful piracy attack.

USS McFaul is attached to the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group working in support of maritime security operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. The mission of the McFaul is to conduct prompt, sustained combat operations at sea in support of U.S. national policy. The ships are equipped to operate independently or as part of a carrier strike group or expeditionary strike group.

DVIDS
Story by Petty Officer 2nd Class Rachael McMarr