India sinks suspected pirate mother ship

[unhappycamper]

India sinks suspected pirate mother ship
By Sam Dolnick - The Associated Press
Posted : Wednesday Nov 19, 2008 16:29:12 EST

NEW DELHI — The ship, operating off the coast of Oman in the lawless waters of the Gulf of Aden, was crewed by heavily armed men, some carrying rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Behind it was a pair of speedboats — the sort pirates often use when they launch attacks on merchant ships in these violent seas.

What followed, officials said Wednesday, was a rare victory in a sea war against Somalia-based piracy that has become increasingly more violent, and where the pirates are ever more bold.

A patrolling Indian navy frigate quickly identified the vessel as a “mother ship” — a mobile attack base used to take gangs of pirates and smaller speedboats into deep water — and ordered it to stop and be searched.

“They responded on the offensive and said that they would blow up the Indian naval ship,” Commander Nirad Sinha, a navy press officer, told reporters in New Delhi. Then the pirates opened fire.

Navy officials wouldn’t say how long the battle Tuesday lasted, but the frigate, the INS Tabar, is a 400-foot war machine, carrying cruise missiles, surface-to-air missiles and six-barreled 30mm machine guns for close combat, according to the Web site GlobalSecurity.org.


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/11/ap_piracy_111808/%2e

[closeupready]

1. I'm fine with this.

n/t

[opihimoimoi]

2. We should put a bounty on them pirates...like $200.00 for each head...kill all of them

the ones on land too....