In a scene which harks back to the 18th Century, a group of pirates decided to take on the Royal Navy - and didn't live to tell the tale.
The terrified pirates stood with their hands on their heads after the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, HMS Cumberland, came to the aid of a Danish cargo ship which the pirates attempted to hijack...
Pictured: The moment Royal Navy sailors shot dead two Somali pirates after they try to hijack a cargo ship
By Daily Mail Reporter
13th November 2008
Daily Mail
This is the dramatic moment Royal Navy sailors confronted a boatload of Somali pirates.
The terrified gunmen stand with their hands up after British military personnel from HMS Cumberland shot and killed two of their shipmates.
The British warship was called into action after the pirates attempted to hijack a Danish cargo ship, the MV Powerful, in the Gulf of Aden.
Gotcha: The pirates throw down their arms and put their hands up as the Royal Navy boats close in
The fishing boat pictured before the exchange of fire that killed two Somali pirates onboard
It was joined by a Russian frigate, the Neustrashimy, as the Somalis targeted the vessel with automatic gunfire.
Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said his vessel and the British frigate each sent up a helicopter against the pirates.
'The pirates tried to hit the ship with automatic weapons fire and made several attempts to seize it,' Dygalo said.
The Ministry of Defence said the Cumberland then sent boats to circle a Yemeni-flagged dhow - a traditional wooden vessel - that apparently had been involved in the attack but it refused to halt.
The crew of the dhow opened fire at the boats, but surrendered after the British crews returned fire in self defence, the military said.
A British crew boarded the dhow and found that two suspected pirates, believed to be Somalis, had been shot and killed, it said.
British frigate HMS Cumberland has helped repel pirates attacking a Danish cargo ship off the Horn of Africa
A Yemeni man also was found wounded and later died despite emergency treatment, according to the British military. It said it was unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the firefight or a previous incident involving the pirates.
Russia sent the Neustrashimy to protect Russian ships and crew off Somalia's coast after a Ukrainian freighter with three Russians aboard - and loaded with battle tanks - was hijacked in September.
Its captain has died, and the 20 other crew are still being held aboard the MV Faina.
Attacks have continued virtually unabated off Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991.
Turkish maritime officials said that pirates had commandeered the Karagol, a Turkish tanker bound for India, on Wednesday, 16 miles off the coast of Yemen.
It was carrying 4,500 tons of chemicals and 14 Turkish personnel. The total number of naval attacks off Somalia stood at 83 before the Karagol was seized, with 33 ships hijacked and 12 still in pirates' hands, most notably the Ukrainian freighter.
Britain has proposed new sanctions against Somalia aimed at stopping its burgeoning pirate trade and lawlessness that threaten a weak UN-backed government.
Under the proposal submitted to the UN Security Council, nations would freeze the financial assets of some people and entities, but not money intended for 'basic expences' like food and medicine.
The council plans to consider the new sanctions next week. Last month it called on all countries with a stake in maritime safety off Somalia to send naval ships and military aircraft to confront growing piracy there.
In June, the council unanimously adopted a resolution allowing ships of foreign nations that cooperate with the Somali government to enter its territorial waters 'for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.'
About 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden each year, compared to 13,000 that pass through the Panama Canal and 50,000 that traverse the Straits of Malacca - formerly the most pirate-infested waterway in the world.
The HMS Cumberland sent a Lynx helicopter, similar to this one, to tackle the pirates
The Indian navy said that its marine commandos operating from a warship prevented pirates from hijacking an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The move was a significant step for the South Asian giant, which is determined to translate its growing economic strength into global military and political clout.
A Nato flotilla of seven vessels is also patrolling the Gulf of Aden to help the U.S. 5th Fleet in anti-piracy patrols and to escort cargo vessels.
The 5th Fleet said that it has repelled about 2 dozen pirate attacks since August 22. NATO officials said alliance warships have not fended off any attacks on the merchant ships they are protecting.
Two boats from the frigate HMS Cumberland intercept a fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden
The European Union has approved sending four to six ships backed by aircraft to replace the NATO force in December. The Greek government approved a plan Wednesday to contribute a frigate and hold the flotilla's rotating command.
In addition, a multinational force of warships from Denmark, the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Britain, Pakistan and Canada has carved out a narrow protected shipping corridor off the coast of Somalia.
The British military said Tuesday's boarding took place 60 nautical miles south of the Yemeni coast and suggested it was in that corridor.
dailymail.co.uk
The terrified pirates stood with their hands on their heads after the Royal Navy Type 23 frigate, HMS Cumberland, came to the aid of a Danish cargo ship which the pirates attempted to hijack...
Pictured: The moment Royal Navy sailors shot dead two Somali pirates after they try to hijack a cargo ship
By Daily Mail Reporter
13th November 2008
Daily Mail
This is the dramatic moment Royal Navy sailors confronted a boatload of Somali pirates.
The terrified gunmen stand with their hands up after British military personnel from HMS Cumberland shot and killed two of their shipmates.
The British warship was called into action after the pirates attempted to hijack a Danish cargo ship, the MV Powerful, in the Gulf of Aden.
Gotcha: The pirates throw down their arms and put their hands up as the Royal Navy boats close in
The fishing boat pictured before the exchange of fire that killed two Somali pirates onboard
It was joined by a Russian frigate, the Neustrashimy, as the Somalis targeted the vessel with automatic gunfire.
Russian navy spokesman Capt. Igor Dygalo said his vessel and the British frigate each sent up a helicopter against the pirates.
'The pirates tried to hit the ship with automatic weapons fire and made several attempts to seize it,' Dygalo said.
The Ministry of Defence said the Cumberland then sent boats to circle a Yemeni-flagged dhow - a traditional wooden vessel - that apparently had been involved in the attack but it refused to halt.
The crew of the dhow opened fire at the boats, but surrendered after the British crews returned fire in self defence, the military said.
A British crew boarded the dhow and found that two suspected pirates, believed to be Somalis, had been shot and killed, it said.
British frigate HMS Cumberland has helped repel pirates attacking a Danish cargo ship off the Horn of Africa
A Yemeni man also was found wounded and later died despite emergency treatment, according to the British military. It said it was unclear whether his injuries were as a result of the firefight or a previous incident involving the pirates.
Russia sent the Neustrashimy to protect Russian ships and crew off Somalia's coast after a Ukrainian freighter with three Russians aboard - and loaded with battle tanks - was hijacked in September.
Its captain has died, and the 20 other crew are still being held aboard the MV Faina.
Attacks have continued virtually unabated off Somalia, which has had no functioning government since 1991.
Turkish maritime officials said that pirates had commandeered the Karagol, a Turkish tanker bound for India, on Wednesday, 16 miles off the coast of Yemen.
It was carrying 4,500 tons of chemicals and 14 Turkish personnel. The total number of naval attacks off Somalia stood at 83 before the Karagol was seized, with 33 ships hijacked and 12 still in pirates' hands, most notably the Ukrainian freighter.
Britain has proposed new sanctions against Somalia aimed at stopping its burgeoning pirate trade and lawlessness that threaten a weak UN-backed government.
Under the proposal submitted to the UN Security Council, nations would freeze the financial assets of some people and entities, but not money intended for 'basic expences' like food and medicine.
The council plans to consider the new sanctions next week. Last month it called on all countries with a stake in maritime safety off Somalia to send naval ships and military aircraft to confront growing piracy there.
In June, the council unanimously adopted a resolution allowing ships of foreign nations that cooperate with the Somali government to enter its territorial waters 'for the purpose of repressing acts of piracy and armed robbery at sea.'
About 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden each year, compared to 13,000 that pass through the Panama Canal and 50,000 that traverse the Straits of Malacca - formerly the most pirate-infested waterway in the world.
The HMS Cumberland sent a Lynx helicopter, similar to this one, to tackle the pirates
The Indian navy said that its marine commandos operating from a warship prevented pirates from hijacking an Indian merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden.
The move was a significant step for the South Asian giant, which is determined to translate its growing economic strength into global military and political clout.
A Nato flotilla of seven vessels is also patrolling the Gulf of Aden to help the U.S. 5th Fleet in anti-piracy patrols and to escort cargo vessels.
The 5th Fleet said that it has repelled about 2 dozen pirate attacks since August 22. NATO officials said alliance warships have not fended off any attacks on the merchant ships they are protecting.
Two boats from the frigate HMS Cumberland intercept a fishing boat in the Gulf of Aden
The European Union has approved sending four to six ships backed by aircraft to replace the NATO force in December. The Greek government approved a plan Wednesday to contribute a frigate and hold the flotilla's rotating command.
In addition, a multinational force of warships from Denmark, the United States, Germany, France, the Netherlands, Britain, Pakistan and Canada has carved out a narrow protected shipping corridor off the coast of Somalia.
The British military said Tuesday's boarding took place 60 nautical miles south of the Yemeni coast and suggested it was in that corridor.
dailymail.co.uk
