U.S. Navy Continues Battle with Pirates
Countering piracy, or any other threat, comes naturally to U.S. Navy personnel patrolling critical sea lanes around the world, and October was been a busy month for those monitoring pirate activities off the east coast of Africa. On October 30, a U.S. Navy destroyer answered a call for help -- relayed through the International Maritime Bureau -- from the North Korean crew on a vessel that had been overtaken by pirates in international waters October 29. The USS James Williams dispatched a helicopter to the sugar-laden Dai Hong Dan, poised 60 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, to investigate the situation. The helicopter confirmedā¦
USS James E. Williams Helps Crew of Pirated Vessel
Crew members from the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) provided care and assistance for approximately 12 hours to crew members and pirates aboard the North Korean cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan, after the crew regained control of the ship from the pirates. Subsequently, the crew requested no further assistance from James E. Williams. Dai Hong Dan's crew regained control of their vessel Oct. 30, after confronting the pirates who had taken over their ship Oct. 29. The crew was able to control the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, while the pirates had seized the bridge. The ship was approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of Mogadishu. Three U.S. Navy corpsmen and a security team from James E. Williams provided medical assistance and other support.
Crew Regains Control of Pirated Vessel
The crew of a North Korean cargo vessel, Dai Hong Dan, regained control of their vessel Oct. 30, after fighting with the pirates who had taken over their ship sometime on October 29, according to a Navy report. The crew was able to control the steering and engineering spaces of the ship, while the pirates had seized the bridge. The ship is approximately 60 nautical miles northeast of Mogadishu. Three corpsmen from USS James E. Williams (DDG 95), an Arleigh-Burke-class destroyer operating as part of the maritime coalition, along with a boarding team, provided medical assistance and other support as needed to the crew of the Korean vessel. Three seriously injured crew members have been transferred to the James E. Williams for treatment.
