Four Americans taken hostage by Somali pirates off East Africa were shot and killed by their captors Monday, the U.S. military said, marking the first time U.S. citizens have been killed in a wave of pirate attacks plaguing the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean for years.
U.S. naval forces, who were trailing the Americans’ captured yacht with four warships, quickly boarded the vessel after hearing the gunfire and tried to provide lifesaving care to the Americans, but they died of their wounds, the U.S. Central Command said in a statement from Tampa, Fla. Two pirates died during the confrontation and 13 were captured and detained, the U.S. Central Command said. The remains of two other pirates who were already dead for some time were also found. The U.S. military didn’t state how those two might have died.
On Monday, two pirates had peacefully come aboard the USS Sterett to negotiate with naval forces for the release of the hostages, and remained aboard overnight.
But on Tuesday, pirates aboard the Quest unexpectedly fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett. Shortly afterward, gunfire erupted inside the Quest cabin, and U.S. special forces responded, approaching the Quest in small boats and boarding the vessel, Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a Tuesday press conference.
Some pirates moved to bow and put up their hands in surrender. The U.S. forces killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel – one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces or damage to U.S. ships, Fox said.
The Quest was the home of Jean and Scott Adam, a couple from California who had been sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles. The two other Americans on board were Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle, of Seattle, Wash. Scott and Jane Adam documented their maritime missionary work on their website, S/V Quest Adventure Log.
This story seems to be missing something…..perhaps a rescue attempt gone awry?
“sailing around the world since December 2004 with a yacht full of Bibles”
And you wonder why the pirates shot them?
I think we need to go back to the 18th century. Draw and quarter captured pirates and put their bodies up for display in Somalia.
Take the gloves off, stop pussyfooting around and send a message.
Jean and Scott Adam, Phyllis Macay and Bob Riggle.
Rest in Peace.
“This story seems to be missing something… perhaps a rescue attempt gone awry?”
How about byte my furry butt!
What’s missing from this story is the fact these pirates were obviously a sect of blood thirsty, rogue Catholics angry these pale faced infidels were handing out Bibles to the locals.
Only then can one blame U.S. special forces for these deaths.
@Mac Guy:
keel-hauling would be better, though, and more suited to the crime. But don’t steel-hulled ships have fewer barnacles than wood-hulled ones? might have to restore an old schooner just for the purpose. Although….the draft on a naval frigate these days probably has any 18th or 19th century ship beat by a longshot (more time under the water).
I think there needs to be a movie made about these pirates. Perhaps Johnny Depp could be in it also. It could be called: “Pirates of the Somalia.” Does that have a ring to it or what?
I want to see some serious ass kicking in Somalia right now. This is an opportunity to respond with a heavy hand.
This story seems questionable…
19 pirates to take over a yacht full of Bibles and being sailed by 4 aging Americans?
Two pirates on the yacht, apparently “dead for some time”? What were they, the pirate dissidents?
“The military said U.S. forces have been monitoring the Quest for about three days, since shortly after the pirate attack on Friday.” Four ships, including an aircraft carrier, were watching a yacht that had been taken over by 19 pirates for 3 DAYS since it was captured? And did nothing?
“But on Tuesday, pirates aboard the Quest unexpectedly fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the Sterett. Shortly afterward, gunfire erupted inside the Quest cabin, and U.S. special forces responded, approaching the Quest in small boats and boarding the vessel, Vice Adm. Mark Fox, commander of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command said in a Tuesday press conference.
Some pirates moved to bow and put up their hands in surrender. The U.S. forces killed two pirates in the course of clearing the vessel – one with a handgun and one in a close-combat knife fight. There were no injuries to U.S. forces or damage to U.S. ships, Fox said.”
So… 19 pirates, having taken over a yacht belonging to and/or crewed by 4 aging Americans, are being followed by 4 US Navy ships INCLUDING an AIRCRAFT CARRIER (not the easiest of ships to stealth) for 3 DAYS, and then one of the pirates RANDOMLY decides to FIRE AN RPG at one of the US Naval vessels, and kill the hostages? What was this vessel, an old PT boat? And it all happens while 2 of the pirates are on said naval vessel, trying to negotiate the release of the 4 aging Americans?
Yeah, this is really a complete story.
Make it illegal to pay ransoms to the pirates. If they didn’t ransom off the ships and crew, the pirates wouldn’t get any money so the reason to pirate goes away.
The Marines need to be sent in to either take back the ships that the pirates capture or have them sneak in to scuttle the ships if they can’t be retaken.
The US Navy was founded to take care of Muslim pirates in that region of the world. That is what the Navy should be doing; they should not be sitting there negotiating with the pirates.
Kick who’s ass ? The 13 living pirates have been captured. Should we just nuke the rest of Somalia for good measure or kill any anyone there with access to a boat who seems to be living above their means?
At best we could learn who is the head of this particular group and try to shutdown their operation but would that do much to put a stop to the system? Others would just take to the sea and replace them.
Short of some idealistic romantic unattainable and prohibitively expensive Somali nation-building what can we really do?
Harding the commercial ships, upping Naval patrols and having pleasure craft avoid the area seems like the only realistic option.
Does anyone know the coordinates where the pirates boarded the yacht? I understand a few hundred miles south of Oman. Apparently, they were going from Oman to Djibouti on the Red Sea.
The pirates are either on patrol – possibly using a mother ship; or are getting intelligence from shipping centers such as London (as one article alleged) or both.
I don’t think the pirates are part of any muslim fundamental sect or al-Qaida.
Howard: Should we just nuke the rest of Somalia for good measure or kill any anyone there with access to a boat who seems to be living above their means?
Unsurprisingly, that seems to be the consensus in the foxnews.com comments on this story. Those bastids are brutal. Plus, the old folks’ deaths are Obama’s fault, also.
IMO, we use Somali pirate ships for live fire training. Won’t take long, then we call it a No-Sail Zone.
Solution ..
Military occupation of 500 miles of Somalia coastline and a new airport for 5min ETA on a distress call for an ass whooping.
Nobody leaves the coast with more than a fishing rod and a wildebeast sandwich.
That sounds great Dallas but why should the US pay for it? We are not the ones who are the most frequent victims of their piracy and i bet it would cost it would cost a lot more that what we are loosing to these crimes plus when would end that mission? or is this a permeant solution?
Still it does sound satisfying, Dallas I seem to agree with you 90% of the time on the site but on this issue I don’t think your solution would really work in the long run.
@#12 Close, but we do not need yet another occupation or country to feed and develop.
No occupation or invasion. No American lives on line:
a) Any prates found in action in the region killed at sight.
b) Devastation of every city, port, facility of any kind, any vessel in any harbor in Somalia. Total devastation. Nothing left standing. Trivial for even small group of modern planes we have near by.
No pussyfooting with this region (as #2 MacGuy noted). They want dark ages tactics? – let them have it full, unrestricted force.
Best of all, technology needed is floating aimlessly near by and the monetary cost is less than one oil-tanker loot worth.
Civilian causalities? – who in Somalia does not live off the piracy? Anyone?
What ever happened to “Turn Somalia into green glass?”
WTF is wrong with our Chicken S**t NAVY? This isn’t some Disney film.
So now oceans (and the air) of Planet Earth are being turned into a no mans land because of ************.
It’s time to take out the garbage it’s starting to really stink.
The only thing I might add to the above is that the people on the boat were missionaries with a cargo of Bibles. That alone might have sealed their fate, simply because they were naive Christian missionaries, not Muslims, no firearms, and easy pickings.
When the american government gets its balls back, someone let me know.
This is Pres Obama’s fault. He OKd the takedown of the pirates two years ago, and now the chickes are coming home to roost.
I guess no-one remembers the last time the mighty American military decided to “sort out” the Somalis. That ended well.
Anyway, who cares about dumbfuck Christians, trying to spread their superstitions around the world? Apparently they’re all happily in Heaven right now, playing table tennis with Jesus or something.
Listen to all you armchair warriors! A bunch of keyboard punks talking tough. Somali’s would punk every one of you tough guys, bend you over the yardarms until you squealed like pigs.
#13 – no the US shouldn’t pay for it.
Give the old British naval base in Aden to the Chinese for free, allow them to base a fleet there with orders to sink on site any ship they don’t like the look of!
#18
Please Mike tell us what you would have had him do?
takedown of the pirates? who exactly, any one on the water? board every craft and “take down” any one with a gun?<no gun rights for non US citizens/residents I guess. You can’t rid a house of cockroaches with a sledgehammer.
please MikeN so wise in the ways of world problem solving tell us your solution lets have one with no blowback this time. We don't want to repeat the mistakes of the Bush/Cheney years.
Mike one so wise tell us we are waiting I bet the feds have some one monitoring this site and are eager to pass your solution on to the Whitehorse.
Yep it sure is regrettable that two adventures who have a hobby of giving away Bibles were killed by civilians of a failed state but because these two were US citizens we should respond with the full might of the US Armed Forces even though we don’t have a definite target to shoot at and the victims knew full well the US had warned them not to go there.
Man I need a proof reader
who lets us dyslexics post here any way?
#19 although these dipshit Christians were on a death wish, they do provide an opportunity for a creative response, ie harsh. This is a first time these pirates went from a business enterprise to outright killers.
There is huge opportunity for Obama to take severe steps unlike the pussy, Bush.
I would seize the coastline and turn it into a base. Park an aircraft carrier and you’re in business in 48 hours . Got a problem with that?
#23 Howard Beale
ohJn oDvrak
I knew the Adams and they had also been on my boat a number of times. Not widely reported is the fact they they were also U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary members out of a Flotilla in Marina del Rey, CA….
#24 Dallas
“I would seize the coastline and turn it into a base. Park an aircraft carrier and you’re in business in 48 hours . Got a problem with that?”
Hell no! We won’t go!
Bring our sons and daughters home!
Fucking IEDs are everywhere, man!
Where’s Fred? He just went for a walk and he disappeared. We’re all gonna die, man!
Hey, says Cheney, what’s a few more billion added to the Defense budget? We can just outlaw unions, take more money from the helpless idiot peasants and set up shop in Somalia with Xe running the show. It’s a win/win/win!
You want to spend money on what, ask the Corporations? Where’s the profit in that fucking place? Fuck you!
Black Hawk Down! Black Hawk Down!
…etcetera…
what is missing is how a bunch of bible thumpers can afford a yacht
idle prying minds wanna know….
#27 you should change your meds or get a pill box.
Doing what I said will be cheaper, safer and more effective. There are no civilians on this side of the fence. I would follow the Guantanamo base model. Lots of Starbucks, beach volleyball and a couple gay bars for the soldiers. It’ll be like fucking san Diego.
WTF. If you are sailing in these waters you are asking for it.
Our military shouldn’t be occupied protecting optional civilian cruses. Commercial vessels, yes.