June 3, 2007 incident off Somalia
Encyclopedia
The Action of 3 June 2007 occurred after a United States Navy
dock landing ship attacked pirates hijacking a freighter
.
punishing pirates harshly. When the Ethiopian and Somali government forces overran the IOC, a lack of strict enforcement allowed the pirates to rebound and once again prey upon shipping in the region by early 2007.
responded to a distress call after the capture of the Danish ship Danica White by pirates. Three pirate skiffs had boarded and seized the vessel. The Carter Bloomfield ordered the pirates to cease and desist but was ignored. She then began to fire warning shots with small arms across the bow of the Danica White to no avail. The pirates merely continued on their course and ignored the US Naval vessel. The Carter Hall then opened fire upon the pirate skiffs using her 25 mm cannon as well as smaller caliber guns. After setting the three skiffs alight and destroying them, the pirates fled into Somali territorial waters, preventing the American vessel from giving further chase, as they no longer had the authority to do so under international law. After much negotiation the pirates finally released the ship and crew to the Commandant Blaison
(F793) and the Lamotte-Picquet (D645) on 22 August 2007. The pirates had demanded 1.5 million dollars ransom in exchange for the release, but it is unclear what amount was actually paid. The crew returned home safely to Denmark on the twenty-eighth after 83 days of captivity.
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
dock landing ship attacked pirates hijacking a freighter
Cargo ship
A cargo ship or freighter is any sort of ship or vessel that carries cargo, goods, and materials from one port to another. Thousands of cargo carriers ply the world's seas and oceans each year; they handle the bulk of international trade...
.
Background
The rise of the Islamic Courts Union in Somalia had stopped the spread of piracy in the region with its following of strict Islamic lawSharia
Sharia law, is the moral code and religious law of Islam. Sharia is derived from two primary sources of Islamic law: the precepts set forth in the Quran, and the example set by the Islamic prophet Muhammad in the Sunnah. Fiqh jurisprudence interprets and extends the application of sharia to...
punishing pirates harshly. When the Ethiopian and Somali government forces overran the IOC, a lack of strict enforcement allowed the pirates to rebound and once again prey upon shipping in the region by early 2007.
Events
The USS Carter HallUSS Carter Hall (LSD-50)
USS Carter Hall is a Harpers Ferry-class dock landing ship of the United States Navy. She was the second Navy ship to be named for Carter Hall, an estate near Winchester, Virginia, built in the 1790s....
responded to a distress call after the capture of the Danish ship Danica White by pirates. Three pirate skiffs had boarded and seized the vessel. The Carter Bloomfield ordered the pirates to cease and desist but was ignored. She then began to fire warning shots with small arms across the bow of the Danica White to no avail. The pirates merely continued on their course and ignored the US Naval vessel. The Carter Hall then opened fire upon the pirate skiffs using her 25 mm cannon as well as smaller caliber guns. After setting the three skiffs alight and destroying them, the pirates fled into Somali territorial waters, preventing the American vessel from giving further chase, as they no longer had the authority to do so under international law. After much negotiation the pirates finally released the ship and crew to the Commandant Blaison
D'Estienne d'Orves class
The A69 type Avisos are small warships mainly designed for coastal anti-submarine defence, but are also available for high sea escort missions . Built on a simple and robust design, they have an economical and reliable propulsion system which allows them to be used for overseas presence missions...
(F793) and the Lamotte-Picquet (D645) on 22 August 2007. The pirates had demanded 1.5 million dollars ransom in exchange for the release, but it is unclear what amount was actually paid. The crew returned home safely to Denmark on the twenty-eighth after 83 days of captivity.