Breaking: Pirates Attack US Missile Frigate, Learn Lesson (Wizbang)

In the Indian ocean of the coast of Kenya, Somali pirates attacked the US Nicholas, a guided missile frigate. Things went about as you'd expect. From the AP via FoxNews:

Suspected Somali pirates fired on a U.S. Navy warship off East Africa early Thursday in what appeared to be a ransom-seeking attack on an American guided missile frigate, officials said.

The USS Nicholas returned fire on the pirate skiff, sinking it and confiscating a nearby mothership. The Navy took five pirates into custody, said Navy Lt. Patrick Foughty, a spokesman.

The AP tracked down a piracy expert--now that is an esoteric qualification--and he added:

It's also quite possible that they don't have a full understanding of the targets they are attacking. Perhaps they just see a big ship they think is a worth a lot of money.

If you aren't familiar with the capabilities of a Oliver Hazard Perry class frigate you can find a description here. Given their armament and equipment, one can only assume that the pirates had far, far less than a "full understanding" of their target.

After several narrow escapes, it is nice to see at least one of these groups find justice.

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Comments (33)

The Kenyan in chief could n... (Below threshold)

1. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 12:17 PM | Score: 4 (8 votes cast)

914:

The Kenyan in chief could not be reached for comment..

Posted on April 1, 2010 12:17

That was kinda like trying ... (Below threshold)

2. Posted by Speller | April 1, 2010 12:57 PM | Score: 10 (10 votes cast)

Speller:

That was kinda like trying to steal from a cookie jar and mistakenly putting your hand in the garburator.

Rules will be put in place to insure the garburator is turned off next time if the previous track record of Obama's administration is a reliable indicator.

Posted on April 1, 2010 12:57

This is the first post in a... (Below threshold)

3. Posted by Grace | April 1, 2010 1:09 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)

Grace:

This is the first post in a while that just brought a huge smile to my face.
Congratulations to our military.

Posted on April 1, 2010 13:09

You can't fix stupid, but y... (Below threshold)

4. Posted by Jeff | April 1, 2010 1:27 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)

Jeff:

You can't fix stupid, but you can darn sure sink it's arse!

Posted on April 1, 2010 13:27

So why did they 'take priso... (Below threshold)

5. Posted by GarandFan | April 1, 2010 1:28 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

GarandFan:

So why did they 'take prisoners'?

Posted on April 1, 2010 13:28

"So why did they 'take p... (Below threshold)

6. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 1:56 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)

"So why did they 'take prisoners'?"

So Barry and his brother could at last be reunited.

Posted on April 1, 2010 13:56

So why did they... (Below threshold)

7. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | April 1, 2010 2:13 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Cheney W. Halliburton:

Some idiot thought it would be a good idea to teach Somali pirates how to swim.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:13

8. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | April 1, 2010 2:14 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

Because Dr. Evil is still waiting for his sharks with frickin' laser beams in their heads.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:14

9. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | April 1, 2010 2:15 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

It was "chipped beef on toast" night in the officers' mess and they didn't want the food to go to waste.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:15

10. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 2:17 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

So they could blame bush!

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:17

11. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 2:19 PM | Score: 3 (5 votes cast)

Slaves get a higher price on the open market!

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:19

12. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 2:22 PM | Score: 4 (6 votes cast)

So Barry could make another trip abroad to bow for thier cause.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:22

13. Posted by JLawson | April 1, 2010 2:33 PM | Score: 8 (8 votes cast)

JLawson:

They were too big for 'catch and release'.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:33

14. Posted by JLawson | April 1, 2010 2:34 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

Illegal dumping would have gotten them in trouble with the EPA.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:34

15. Posted by JLawson | April 1, 2010 2:36 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

The sharks (with frickin' laser beams) were swimming around with protest signs.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:36

16. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 2:40 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

"So why did they 'take prisoners'"

So they could properly be mirandized by Eric tax offender Holder.

Posted on April 1, 2010 14:40

17. Posted by Cheney W. Halliburton | April 1, 2010 3:19 PM | Score: 7 (7 votes cast)

To be test subjects for ObamaCare.

Posted on April 1, 2010 15:19

The lighter side of....<... (Below threshold)

18. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 3:33 PM | Score: 5 (5 votes cast)

The lighter side of....

Because they are white supremacist racists!

Posted on April 1, 2010 15:33

I would have blown their fu... (Below threshold)

19. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 3:37 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

I would have blown their fucking asses back to kokomo... But that's just me.

Posted on April 1, 2010 15:37

The reason the so called pi... (Below threshold)

20. Posted by Bill | April 1, 2010 4:02 PM | Score: 6 (6 votes cast)

Bill:

The reason the so called pirates (thats too good of a term for them) attacked the US frigate is not because they under estimated the warships fire power, it is because the world views the US as a bunch of wimps and these thugs thought we wouldnt do anything about it. Bravo US Navy!! Well done.

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:02

I wonder if conditions in S... (Below threshold)

21. Posted by Burt | April 1, 2010 4:04 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Burt:

I wonder if conditions in Somalia are so desperate that the prospect of being tried in the US Courts for piracy is preferable to returning home.

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:04

Screw You Bruce Green!... (Below threshold)

22. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 4:22 PM | Score: 1 (3 votes cast)

Screw You Bruce Green!

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:22

Once again counting on some... (Below threshold)

23. Posted by Marc | April 1, 2010 4:26 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Marc:

Once again counting on some AP news stringer for accurate reportage is an exercise in futility.

The USS Nicholas was a guided missile frigate, the operative word being WAS.

Aug, 2003

Rear Adm. Mark J. Edwards, deputy director of the Surface Warfare Division of the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations, confirmed to Sea Power on 6 August in a briefing sponsored by the Potomac Institute of Policy Studies that the Standard SM-1 surface-to-air missiles and AGM-84 Harpoon antiship cruise missiles are being removed from all Perry-class FFGs. The old SM-1 missile is no longer sustainable and is being retired from the Navy, and its Mk13 launcher also is being removed from the FFGs. Because the Harpoon missile is fired from the same launcher, it also will no longer be deployed on the FFGs.

At best they are Fast Frigates (FF) now, the fact is patrolling for pirates is about the only duty this class can perform with any efficiency at this point in its service life.

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:26

Aye Marc, the Perry-class i... (Below threshold)

24. Posted by Dan Karipides | April 1, 2010 4:47 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Dan Karipides:

Aye Marc, the Perry-class is near the end of it service life and the SM-1 launchers have been removed.

Still, compared to a pirate vessel, it is pretty well armed. It also carries 2 helicopters that can be equipped with anti-ship missiles. I don't know what the pirate vessel was using for weaponry but I highly doubt it was able to compete. (Especially given that it is now at the bottom of the ocean.)

I had a friend get a tour of one once. The Phalanx rapid-fire cannon is accurate enough that with a tracer rounds, computer tracking, and radar it was reported to be able to knock an incoming 5-inch shell out of the air.

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:47

"I don't know what the pira... (Below threshold)

25. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 4:50 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

"I don't know what the pirate vessel was using for weaponry but I highly doubt it was able to compete"

Coconuts

Posted on April 1, 2010 16:50

1) Coconuts should not be ... (Below threshold)

26. Posted by James H | April 1, 2010 5:17 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

James H:

1) Coconuts should not be underestimated, as the Professor taught us.

2) I see nothing about a yardarm in the ship specs.

Posted on April 1, 2010 17:17

"So you 'accidentally' sunk... (Below threshold)

27. Posted by JLawson | April 1, 2010 5:27 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

"So you 'accidentally' sunk the pirate vessel?"

"Yes, sir. We figured they might want some water so we dropped it to them."

"Says here you had a 10 gallon can?"

"Yes, sir."

"That'd been in the freezer at -10 for a week?"

"Yes, sir. It was a hot day, sir, and we figured they might like something cold and refreshing."

"And you were lowering it by line when it slipped?"

"Yes, sir. It weighed about 85 lbs sir, what with the water and can and all."

"Hmmm. Long way down, 50 feet or so?"

"Yes, sir - it went through their hull. Didn't figure their deck would be so thin or their hull so flimsy."

"Says here you tried to make up for it by dropping them some... ice cream?"

"Yes, sir. We dropped 3 5-gallon cans of hard-pack, at -10. Taped together - we didn't want them to separate."

"And... you slipped that line also. Let's see, about 7 lbs per gallon of hard-pack, over a hundred pounds... Causing more damage to that boat."

"Yes, sir. Sloppy handling, sir."

"Well, they're fragile so be more careful next time. And don't forget the spoons - I believe a 10-gallon container loaded up with them would be... just the thing. It's weigh what... about 300 lbs?"

"It's likely, sir."

"Be a shame if the line slipped on that one, wouldn't it? Hypothetically speaking. Drop something like that and you're probably going to sink it in one shot."

"Okay, get out of here. And next time, make sure they get the spoons first."

Posted on April 1, 2010 17:27

"1) Coconuts should not ... (Below threshold)

28. Posted by 914 | April 1, 2010 5:31 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

"1) Coconuts should not be underestimated, as the Professor taught us."

Racist!!

Posted on April 1, 2010 17:31

Dan - "I had a friend g... (Below threshold)

29. Posted by Marc | April 1, 2010 5:49 PM | Score: 4 (4 votes cast)

Dan - "I had a friend get a tour of one once. The Phalanx rapid-fire cannon is accurate enough that with a tracer rounds, computer tracking, and radar it was reported to be able to knock an incoming 5-inch shell out of the air."

Yeah well, "reported" is the operative word.

Spent 20 years sailing on ships with Phalanx (CIWS).

It's crap on a stick and why the RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) and variants are replacing it fleetwide.

If fleetwide means not on FFG-7's who life is toast and will all be tuna cans long before the RAM system is fully implemented.

Posted on April 1, 2010 17:49

I think I read somewhere th... (Below threshold)

30. Posted by WildWillie | April 1, 2010 6:32 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

WildWillie:

I think I read somewhere that Steve Green piloted the sunken pirate ship. ww

Posted on April 1, 2010 18:32

Reading this story reminded... (Below threshold)

31. Posted by retired military | April 1, 2010 8:21 PM | Score: 2 (2 votes cast)

retired military:

Reading this story reminded me of the movie Indiana Jones and the Holy Grail

"They chose ... poorly"

Posted on April 1, 2010 20:21

Since when are they letting... (Below threshold)

32. Posted by Tsar Nicholas II | April 1, 2010 11:51 PM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Tsar Nicholas II:

Since when are they letting drunken liberal Democrats captain pirate ships??

Posted on April 1, 2010 23:51

The (United States) Navy to... (Below threshold)

33. Posted by Brian Richard Allen | April 2, 2010 7:40 AM | Score: 3 (3 votes cast)

Brian Richard Allen:

The (United States) Navy took five pirates into custody ...

Immediately upon learning of their capture, the Buraq Hussayn Obamussolini "administration," via its ambassador from al Qeada, Eric H. Holder, Jr, awarded them all United States "citizenship," two $600.00 per hour lawyers apiece (after first granting all of those full pay leave from their Justice department day jobs) and guaranteed-outcome trials in downtown Manhattan.

Posted on April 2, 2010 07:40

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