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Coalition Maritime Forces Deter Pirate Attack off Yemen

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS041215-03
Release Date: 12/15/2004 10:13:00 AM

From Commander, Joint Forces Maritime Component Commander/Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

MANAMA, Bahrain (NNS) -- Coalition aircraft, while on patrol in the Gulf of Aden, deterred pirates from attacking a civilian sailing yacht in international waters off the coast of Yemen, Dec. 12.

At 1:30 p.m. local time, two small boats attacked the sailing yacht while it was sailing from Egypt to Oman. The captain of Lili Marleen called for assistance on VHF radio, reporting that one of the two small boats fired shots at the sailing yacht.

A French Atlantique maritime patrol aircraft (MPA), currently part of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 57, responded by immediately identifying and shadowing two suspect craft en route to the sailing yacht, Lili Marleen.

The captain of Lili Marleen increased speed, while its 23 crew members set out fire hoses on the deck to deter a boarding attempt by the pirates.

The Atlantique identified two small boats with five people aboard each of them, closing on a nearby merchant vessel, Panormos Pride. The two suspect boats gave up pursuit when the Atlantique arrived on the scene and followed them.

The Atlantique continued to fly around the area of Lili Marleen and the Panormos Pride for the next hour, preventing further attempts at an attack. The aircraft was joined by a helicopter from the German Brandenburg-class frigate, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F 218), at 3 p.m. local time. The warship had been patrolling the Gulf of Aden when they received the alert from the French aircraft.

At 3:20 p.m., the two suspect small boats left the area, tracking toward the Somali coast.

There was no damage to Lili Marlene and there were no casualties.

French MPA have been part of CTF 57 in support of Operation Enduring Freedom in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden since 2001.

Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is part of Combined Task Force 150, a multinational force that comprises a key element of the Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet's contribution to the campaign against international terrorism, conducting Maritime Interception Operations in support of Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF MIO) in the Horn of Africa region.

OEF MIO is conducted in international waters throughout the U.S. 5th Fleet area of responsibility. These operations are aimed at interrupting the flow of personnel and material that may support international terrorist organizations.

Ships of Combined Task Force 150 from 12 nations have patrolled an area of more than 2 million square miles for over two years. At present, the multinational force is comprised of ships from France, Italy, Germany, Pakistan, the United Kingdom and the United States.