THIS drama in real life took place in the Indian ocean. A merchant ship bound for Mombasa was attacked by Somali pirates on 8th April. They boarded the ship and in their fight with the crew members one pirate got wounded. At this juncture the captain asked the crew members to remain shut inside their cabins and he then offered himself as hostage if they release the ship and crew members free.The pirates agreed and left the ship with the captain in a life boat.The ship and the crew left the place to Kenyan port and stood anchored there.
By this time the life boat with the captain had been surrounded by the U.S.navy.The pirates asked for a ransom of 2 million dollars or so.The talk continued for days. In the meanwhile the U.S.Navy ship, Bainbridge, had got highly trained Navy SEAL men parachuted into it.
During this time, a pirate remaining in boat a little away from the ship needed medical help for his wound got inflicted earlier in the fight while boarding the merchant ship. The navy ship offered help and the pirate went inside the navy ship for both medical help and talk on ransom money.The talk went on there.
Now in the pirate's boat four persons remained, three pirates and the captain.The pirates were tense and tired. The boat had run out of fuel and the ammunition was also exhausting.The pirates, in their daily hunt for ships,usually go no where near a Navy or other similar military ships.They usually attack merchant ships and take crew as hostage.The crew being untrained for similar situations are not a problem for pirates. In this case the intervention of U.S.navy put the pirates in a spot. They actually wanted to give up fight and get away from the scene.
Of the 4 persons remained in the small boat, one pirate was holding an A.K.-47 gun against the back of the tied up Captain and the other two just sat in the boat awaiting the arrival of the wounded pirate from the navy ship. The sun was setting and the sea was getting rough.
The U.S.Navy had no intention to give the ransom and get back the captain. It did not need a mighty U.S.Navy ship to do such a simple thing. The mission on hand was to get the captain freed unharmed and President Obama had already given permission to do whatever was necessary for the freedom of the Captain. At the moment the responsibility of the rescue operation fell squarely on the commander of the U.S navy ship and that was one hell of a responsibility.
In the navy ship the commander and the SEAL men were watching the boat intently for an opening to strike. The SEAL's marksmen with gun were stationed in the ship for each of the three pirates in the boat some 60 or so feet away. After sunset the night was descending on the sea putting the visibility at its low. The boat and the men inside were not steady as the sea was rough.The bullets should strike the heads of the pirates to kill them instantly. And in the attack if one was left with injury (without instantly killing) that injured pirate would kill the captain in no time in retaliation. The visibility was turning low and on top of that the boat with its men were rocking in the sea making it impossible to aim properly on the men. It was a great challenge for those SEAL gunmen and they at the moment needed all their training and skill plus a lot of luck to succeed in the operation.
While watching the boat the commander got an opening when he found them exposed in the boat. He then wasted no time to give the nod for the SEAL men.
In an instant the whole pirate drama was over with a bang. The three bullets killed the pirates instantly as had planned. "It was a phenomenal shot from 75 feet away " said the navy vice admiral.
The captain was then brought to the navy ship and they informed the merchant ship and others of the victory including the captain's anxious wife in Vermont, U.S.A. The merchant ship crew celebrated the release of their captain with fire-crackers.
No comments:
Post a Comment