Feral Jundi

     After the grenade was fired at the Sterett, several pirates came on deck with their hands raised, as if trying to surrender, Fox said. The gunfire erupted on board almost immediately. But U.S. officers said it was not known whether the hostages had made an escape attempt or whether disagreements among the pirates prompted the firing.

“I can presume inside the vessel there was a lot of small-arms fire,” Fox said, but he noted that the Special Forces team did not have to fight its way onto the yacht.

     As the Special Forces team cleared the vessel, it discovered two pirates who already were dead. Another two were killed by U.S. personnel, one by gunfire and one by a knife, Fox said. 

     Not good, and rest in peace to these fallen hostages. It seems to me that these pirates are taking on a more violent approach. I will not speculate as to what happened out there that led to the pirates killing their hostages, and we will see from future reports as to the details. Until then, CENTCOM has made their statement on the matter.

      The other thing that grabbed my attention was the mention of a SEAL (I am assuming that US Personnel would be a SEAL) who killed a pirate with a knife?  Wow, that is some close quarters combat if you have to use a knife.  Although sometimes a knife would be the best tool for the job on a small vessel that has cramped and hidden quarters.  If someone pops out quickly, getting your gun on them might take too much time. Instead, there might have been a fight and once some minor distance was gained in the battle and the SEAL could have pulled out a pig sticker to take care of the problem. Who knows and I am sure more will follow in future reports on this? –Matt

DOD News Briefing with Vice Adm. Fox via Telephone from Bahrain on Somali Piracy Aboard the S/V Quest 

Official: Four Americans killed by pirates on hijacked yacht

Knife quote from the LA Times

U.S. forces respond to gunfire aboard the S/V Quest

U.S. forces respond to gunfire aboard the S/V Quest

CENTCOM Public Affairs

TAMPA, Fla. (Feb. 22, 2011) — At approximately 1 a.m. EST today, while negotiations were ongoing to secure the release of four American hostages, U.S. forces responded to gunfire aboard the pirated vessel (S/V) Quest. As they responded to the gunfire, reaching and boarding the Quest, the forces discovered all four hostages had been shot by their captors. Despite immediate steps to provide life-saving care, all four hostages ultimately died of their wounds.

“We express our deepest condolences for the innocent lives callously lost aboard the Quest,” said Gen James N. Mattis, U.S. Central Command Commander.

During the boarding of the Quest, the reaction force was engaged by pirates on board the vessel. Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained along with two pirates already in US Forces custody. The US Forces also found the remains of two other pirates already dead aboard the Quest.  In total, it is believed 19 pirates were involved in the hijacking of the S/V Quest.

US Forces have been closely monitoring the S/V Quest for approximately 3 days, once it became known to be pirated. Four U.S. Navy warships comprised the response force dedicated to recovering the S/V Quest: the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise (CVN 65), the guided-missile cruiser USS Leyte Gulf (CG 55), the guided-missile destroyers USS Sterett (DDG 104) and USS Bulkeley (DDG 84). The ships are deployed to the region to conduct maritime security operations and to provide support to operations Enduring Freedom and New Dawn.

Questions can be addressed to U.S. Central Command at 813-827-5895.

Link to press release here.

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Knife quote from the LA Times

February 22, 2011

…..Adm. Mark Fox, the commander of U.S. naval forces in the region, said he had no details of the negotiations with the pirates and declined to comment when asked if the U.S. had planned to prevent the hostages from being taken ashore if the yacht reached Somalia.

After the grenade was fired at the Sterett, several pirates came on deck with their hands raised, as if trying to surrender, Fox said. The gunfire erupted on board almost immediately. But U.S. officers said it was not known whether the hostages had made an escape attempt or whether disagreements among the pirates prompted the firing.

“I can presume inside the vessel there was a lot of small-arms fire,” Fox said, but he noted that the Special Forces team did not have to fight its way onto the yacht.

As the Special Forces team cleared the vessel, it discovered two pirates who already were dead. Another two were killed by U.S. personnel, one by gunfire and one by a knife, Fox said.

Link to quote here.

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Official: Four Americans killed by pirates on hijacked yacht

February 22, 2011

Four Americans on board a yacht hijacked by pirates last week are dead, according to a defense official with knowledge of military activities in the region.The vessel, the S/V Quest, was being shadowed by the military after being captured off the coast of Oman on Friday. Officials had said earlier Tuesday it was less than two days from the Somali coast.Owners Jean and Scott Adam and two other people on board, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, had been traveling with yachts participating in the Blue Water Rally since their departure from Phuket, Thailand, rally organizers said Sunday in a statement on the event’s website. The group, which organizes long-distance group cruises, said the S/V Quest broke off on February 15 after leaving Mumbai, India, to take a different route.On Monday, a senior military official said a U.S. Navy warship and helicopters were trailing a boat believed to be the one that was hijacked by Somali pirates.U.S. officials have not identified the people on board the ship, but confirmed that four U.S. citizens were involved.Another U.S. official, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the situation, said previously that the United States was determining what military assets were in the region and the capabilities of the personnel on board.Piracy has flourished off the coast of Somalia, which has not had an effective government for two decades. In April 2009, pirates seized the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, leading to a standoff in the Indian Ocean.U.S. forces moved to rescue American Capt. Richard Phillips after seeing a pirate aiming a weapon on his back, officials said at the time.Three pirates were killed and one was arrested. The Somali man arrested was convicted of acts related to high-seas piracy and was sentenced last week in New York to more than 30 years in prison by a federal court.

Story here.