France's La Somme French command vessel is attached by Somali pirates
Thread Starter
|
Tech Certified Members
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,701
Three times in the past two years, 2008 / 2009, French commandos have had to rescue French pleasure cruisers whose yachts were hijacked by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden. The operations sure cost millions of dollars, and also claimed the lives of several pirates and one Frenchman. Now the French foreign ministry is proposing a law that will require future adventurers to repay part of the cost of their rescues, in the event they run into trouble. Bloomberg calls it a “stupidity tax.” Such pleasure cruisers have no business in the area.
========================
one story ...
Yusuf is one of the defendants in an exceptional court case starting on Monday in Rotterdam. On trial are five Somalis suspected of piracy on the high seas. They stand accused of attempting to hijack the freighter Samanyolu in the Gulf of Aden on January 2 of this year. The Samanyolu had a crew of seven Turks and one Azeri, but it was sailing under the flag of the Dutch Antilles, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That gave the Netherlands a reason to put them on trial in a Dutch court. The Danish navy, which picked up the five Somalis, handed them over to the Netherlands in February.
Requests by NRC Handelsblad to interview the defendants were turned down by the prisons where they've been kept since. But access to the case files, including transcripts of the interrogations, was given by Haroon Raza, who defends Osman (1978). Raza hopes the publicity will help his client's case.
None of the defendants deny that they are pirates. "I'll be honest: it was our intention to hijack a ship," Yusuf said during his first interrogation. They readily admit to having been heavily armed with kalashnikovs and an anti-tank missile. But they claim they abandoned any idea of hijacking a ship after the engine on their boat died, and that the crew of the Samanyolu attacked them first.
For three days, the would-be pirates drifted on the high seas as their water and food supply dwindled. On the third day they met the Samanyolu; they decided to ask for help from its crew. By chance, their boat's engine suddenly came back to life at that moment. "We approached the ship," says Abdirisaq (1977). "We tried to attract the crew's attention by putting our hands in the air. But suddenly shooting came from the ship." They had no choice then but to fire back, says Abdirisaq, "but they were only warning shots".
.
========================
one story ...
Yusuf is one of the defendants in an exceptional court case starting on Monday in Rotterdam. On trial are five Somalis suspected of piracy on the high seas. They stand accused of attempting to hijack the freighter Samanyolu in the Gulf of Aden on January 2 of this year. The Samanyolu had a crew of seven Turks and one Azeri, but it was sailing under the flag of the Dutch Antilles, which are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. That gave the Netherlands a reason to put them on trial in a Dutch court. The Danish navy, which picked up the five Somalis, handed them over to the Netherlands in February.
Requests by NRC Handelsblad to interview the defendants were turned down by the prisons where they've been kept since. But access to the case files, including transcripts of the interrogations, was given by Haroon Raza, who defends Osman (1978). Raza hopes the publicity will help his client's case.
None of the defendants deny that they are pirates. "I'll be honest: it was our intention to hijack a ship," Yusuf said during his first interrogation. They readily admit to having been heavily armed with kalashnikovs and an anti-tank missile. But they claim they abandoned any idea of hijacking a ship after the engine on their boat died, and that the crew of the Samanyolu attacked them first.
For three days, the would-be pirates drifted on the high seas as their water and food supply dwindled. On the third day they met the Samanyolu; they decided to ask for help from its crew. By chance, their boat's engine suddenly came back to life at that moment. "We approached the ship," says Abdirisaq (1977). "We tried to attract the crew's attention by putting our hands in the air. But suddenly shooting came from the ship." They had no choice then but to fire back, says Abdirisaq, "but they were only warning shots".
.
Last edited by stomper; Oct 8, 2009 at 12:01 AM.
Thread Starter
|
Tech Certified Members
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 2,701
Littoral Combat Ship
In 1778, Capt. John Paul Jones, described as father of the U.S. Navy, stated "I wish to have no connection with any ship that does not sail fast; for I intend to go in harm's way."
Estimates for Littoral Combat Ships were about $220 million apiece, but costs spiraled because of added Navy's requirements and its desire to expedite construction. The cost of the ships is capped at $460 million apiece, starting in the new fiscal year.
Independence is a 418-foot warship built in Alabama, with a top speed in excess of 45 knots (52 mph), and can sustain 44 knots for four hours.
Freedom is a 378-foot warship built in Wisconsin by a Lockheed, with similar numbers.
Both versions of the Littoral Combat Ship use diesel engines, as well as gas turbines. They use steerable water jets instead of propellers and rudders and have shallower drafts than conventional warships, letting them zoom close to shore.
The ships, better able to chase down pirates, have been fast-tracked because the Navy wants vessels that can operate in coastal, or littoral, waters. Freedom is due to be deployed next year, two years ahead of schedule.
Independence is an aluminum, tri-hulled warship built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The lead contractor is Maine's Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is leading the team that built Freedom in Marinette, Wis. It looks more like a conventional warship, with a steel single hull.
The stakes are high for both teams. The Navy plans to select Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics, but not both, as the builder. The Navy has ordered one more ship from each of the teams before it chooses the final design. Eventually, the Navy wants to build up to 55 of them.
.
Estimates for Littoral Combat Ships were about $220 million apiece, but costs spiraled because of added Navy's requirements and its desire to expedite construction. The cost of the ships is capped at $460 million apiece, starting in the new fiscal year.
Independence is a 418-foot warship built in Alabama, with a top speed in excess of 45 knots (52 mph), and can sustain 44 knots for four hours.
Freedom is a 378-foot warship built in Wisconsin by a Lockheed, with similar numbers.
Both versions of the Littoral Combat Ship use diesel engines, as well as gas turbines. They use steerable water jets instead of propellers and rudders and have shallower drafts than conventional warships, letting them zoom close to shore.
The ships, better able to chase down pirates, have been fast-tracked because the Navy wants vessels that can operate in coastal, or littoral, waters. Freedom is due to be deployed next year, two years ahead of schedule.
Independence is an aluminum, tri-hulled warship built by Austal USA in Mobile, Ala. The lead contractor is Maine's Bath Iron Works, a subsidiary of General Dynamics.
Lockheed Martin Corp. is leading the team that built Freedom in Marinette, Wis. It looks more like a conventional warship, with a steel single hull.
The stakes are high for both teams. The Navy plans to select Lockheed Martin or General Dynamics, but not both, as the builder. The Navy has ordered one more ship from each of the teams before it chooses the final design. Eventually, the Navy wants to build up to 55 of them.
.
Last edited by stomper; Oct 23, 2009 at 08:45 AM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
stomper
Off Topic
0
Jul 7, 2008 11:48 AM
