As we already know, following a firefight the likes from which there exists little information, Maersk Alabama Captain Richard Phillips was freed from his Somali captors on Sunday, April 12th. Three of the four Somali pirates were killed and a fifth Somali, not on the lifeboat, is in apparent custody.
In the meantime, the MV (Merchant Vessel) Maersk Alabama itself rests at anchor in the harbor of Mombasa, Kenya, a country just to the south of Somalia on the eastern coast of Africa, the rest of its crew intact and unharmed. A large and detailed map of Africa is here.
Seized by those four Somali pirates on April 8th, the Maersk Alabama was retaken a short time later by the crew. Captain Phillips surrendered himself for the crew and an exchange had been planned: one of the Somali pirates captured by the crew for Phillips himself. Unfortunately, the crew had little skill in negotiations with thugs and made the mistake of allowing the pirate to go free prior to the release of Captain Phillips.
Phillips was then kidnapped by force for ransom and placed into one of the Maersk‘s own covered lifeboats with the pirates. Adrift on the sea but equipped with a satphone, the pirates commenced “negotiations.” The Maersk Alabama left the site for Mombasa, its original destination, and the FBI (its HRT unit) — allegedly “in charge” of the destroyer USS Bainbridge — conducted verbal negotiations.
During this time, the Somali pirates planned to have other pirate vessels make contact with the drifiting lifeboat and transfer Captain Phillips aboard one of those boats, in order to take him back to Somalia — where, on land and hidden away, they would have a much stronger hand for a successful ransom. The US Navy stymied the plan by deploying two ships which deflected the pirate vessels.
Captain Phillips attempted escape once but was recaptured. He tried a second time on Sunday by again jumping from the Maersk’s lifeboat. This allowed US Navy SEALS to fire into the lifeboat and kill the remaining pirates.
Now that the entire crew is safe, there appears to be consideration by the US military to make a land incursion into Somalia itself. Neil Livingstone and other security analysts suggest the 1801 decision by then-President Thomas Jefferson to send a naval force to assault the land bases of Barbary pirates, who were extorting money from U.S. merchant ships off Libya’s coast, is a tactic that would work in this scenario as well.
In the meantime, John Press of Culturist John succinctly writes:
We should, at very least, stop Somali immigration until their piracy of our ships stop. Such culturist immigration policies would remind us that we have a culture as well as a duty and right to protect it.
I can only concur. Common sense would logically demand this.
You inherently know that no one in the current Obama Administration would even remotely touch this concept as it involves verboten subject matter: melanin count and Islam.
However, do you see or hear any Republicans calling for such an immediate and logical measure? I do not. This bespeaks, sadly, volumes about our current GOP ranks.
BZ
I’m just glad it all worked out OK.
Many are saying Obama had nothing to do with besides giving his OK.
Well good for him and it’s about time we had a President that let our fine Military do their job. When you let the Military take its orders from the Pentagon or Officers on the ground and not the White House or some asshat setting in the White House this is what happens, our Military kicks butt.
When you let our men and women of our Military, plan and execute what needs to be done, they WIN, every time.
This was textbook, this is the way it should be done and my hat goes off to everyone involved. As you know BZ I’m working on a project about the sharp-shooter of all sharp-shooters so this really made my day.
Look, alls well that ends well, but I don’t think we should have waited 5 days.. we were lucky that they didn’t kill the good Capt. by then.
And Ranando, my guess is that those very important assets were already precisely in place and awaiting their perfect moment — as we know, waiting is a HUGE part of THAT game.
IHTSI: hello, and welcome aboard! Thanks for visiting and thanks for taking the time to comment! Luckily, at this point, the confluence of events was such that all worked out well.
But, as they “pirates” themselves have made clear, American and French assets will be purposely targeted in the future and they will kill people.
BZ
Chalk one up for the good guys. Now let’s see if we can repeat it.
Nope… we hear absolutely nothing from the Republicans, BZ… at least not yet. It’s past time we got rid of the current crop!
Hearing that Cpt. Phillips had been rescued yesterday was wonderful. Hearing that at least three of the pirates met their demise at the hands of Navy Seals was almost as good!
Gayle, I am starting to think that you are becoming a real Conservative, and if that’s true, I am glad to see it… It really hurt a while back when I was fucked over for not toeing the Republican line…
That, and the 2-bit bullshit that I was a fake everything simply because I wouldn’t bow to your age and experience as I made a decision to accept Ranando at his word…
My how things change when one pulls ones head out of… the sand…