17 men apprehended on mother ship by CTF 151
(B2) According to the US Navy, ships of CTF 151 foiled a pirate attack on May 13 and apprehended 17 pirate suspects on a mother ship. At 3:30 p.m., the Korean destroyer Munmu le Grand (DDG 976) and the missile cruiser Gettysburg (CG 64) came to the aid of the Egyptian ship, MV Amira, which had given a distress signal, To
about 75 nautical miles from Al Mukalla in Yemen. The pirates fired several shots and an RPG at the merchant vessel, with no apparent damage. The embarked helicopters immediately took off. During their flight, the SH-60B spotted a suspicious dhow, which could serve as a mother ship with 17 people on board. After a visit, the marines seized 8 assurant rifles, a grenade launcher (RPG) and a grenade. The 17 men were taken aboard the Gettysburg for questioning.
(Update May 19): All 17 suspects remain aboard the Gettysburg. An investigation is underway to determine whether or not they can be prosecuted.
According to U.S. Naval fleet, ships from Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 prevented a piracy attack in the Gulf of Aden, May 13. "At approximately 3:30 pm, the Republic of Korea Destroyer, ROKS Munmu the Great (DDG 976) and guided missile cruiser USS Gettysburg (CG 64) responded to a distress call from the Egyptian-flagged MV Amira, which reported being attacked approximately 75 nautical miles south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. Several assault rifle rounds and one rocket propelled grenade round struck M/V Amira resulting in little to no damage to the ship. A rope was thrown from the skiff in an attempt to board, but the attempt failed and the suspected pirates abandoned their attack. Gettysburg and Munmu the Great launched their embarked helicopters which flew immediately to Amira's location. During its flight, the SH-60B helicopter assigned to Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 46 located a dhow suspected of serving as a pirate "mothership" with approximately 17 people on board. ) team boarded the suspected "mothership" along with members of US Coast Guard Legal Detachment (LEDET) 409 and apprehended the suspected pirates after finding eight assault rifles, a rocket-propelled grenade launcher and one rocket-propelled grenade. All 17 of the passengers were brought on board Gettysburg for further questioning."
(Update on 19th may): The 17 suspected pirates still remain aboard USS Gettysburg. A determination is currently being made as to whether or not the Suspected pirates will be prosecuted.
