A US CTF 151 helicopter comes under fire from pirates

(BRUSSELS2) The pirates - on board a captured ship (the Win Far) - did not hesitate, on Tuesday evening (August 26, 20 p.m.) to fire on an American helicopter from CTF151 which was flying over it. More fear than harm apparently. The SH-60 helicopter belonging to HSL 49 Squadron embarked aboard USS Chancellorsville (CG 62)"was not touched. And no crew member was hurt", announces the HQ of CTF151 in Bahrain. In fact, it was only by returning to their home ship and seeing the soldiers again that they noticed the incident, by reviewing the tapes recorded by their radar (FLIR The Win Far, a Taiwanese boat captured on April 9 with its 30 crew members, served as a mother ship for pirates on several occasions, notably in the attack on the Maersk-Alabama. , assures the CTF151 But we know that the international forces in the region have chosen to have an offensive attitude on the mother ships to reduce the range of action of the pirates (read First assessment). This is the first time that shots against a helicopter of the international force have been reported. This confirms concerns about a possible hardening of the pirate-military confrontation.

(26 aug., at approximately 8:00 am local time), Somali Pirates aboard Motor Vessel (M/V) Win Far, fired what appeared to be a large caliber weapon at a US Navy SH-60B Helicopter from Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light (HSL) 49, embarked aboard USS Chancellorsville (CG 62). "No rounds of ammunition struck the SH-60B. The SH-60 crew did not return fire. No personnel injuries resulted
from the incident", CTF 151 HQ say. Win Far is a Taiwanese-flagged vessel that was pirated April 6, 2009, and over the past 135 days it has been used as a “mother ship” to conduct other known pirate attacks, most notably the US flagged Maersk-Alabama in April 2009. The helicopter was conducting a routine surveillance flight of M/V Win Far currently held at anchorage by Somali pirates south of Garacad, Somalia when the incident occurred. but could not ascertain they were fired upon until their return to Chancellorsville and review of Forward Looking Infrared Radar (FLIR) video, which recorded the incident. The helicopter was approximately 3,000 yards from Win Far when it was fired upon. More than 30 crewmembers remain as hostages aboard the pirated vessel M/V Win Far.