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.
