| 11 November 2008, incident off Somalia | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part ofOperation Ocean Shield | |||||||
 Pirates surrendering after engaging Royal Marines | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 United Kingdom[1] | Somali pirates | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Peter Sparkes | Unknown | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2 frigates 1 freighter 2 rigid inflatable boats | 1 armed dhow[2] | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| None | 3 killed 8 captured 1 armed dhow captured | ||||||
Theaction of 11 November 2008 was a naval engagement fought off Somalia between pirates and British forces.Russia has stated that its forces fought off the pirates also, though Russia's involvement has been disputed by theRoyal Navy. The incident took place 60 nautical miles (110 km) south of theYemeni coast, in theGulf of Aden. When the Royal Navy shipHMS Cumberland, "attached to the NATO task force in the region"[3] attempted to board a Somali piratedhow with twelve pirates on board, the pirates initially resisted with assault rifle fire. After a brief shoot-out with the Royal Marines, two pirates were killed and the dhow was captured byCumberland.The Times has described the incident as "the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot-out on the high seas in living memory."[1]The Independent has also stated that the confrontation "is believed to be the first time recently that Britishnaval service personnel have been involved in a confrontation that resulted in deaths",[4] andThe Toronto Star has stated that the engagement is "the first time since the 1982Falklands War that the Royal Navy had killed anyone on the high seas."[2]
As of 11 November 2008, 32 ships had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden bypirates.[5] The Gulf of Aden has been described as "a treacherous stretch for ships, particularlyalong the Somali coast".[6] To protect commercial vessels off the coast ofSomalia, a multi-national task force was deployed to the area.[5]
On 11 November pirates on board adhow attackedMV Powerful, a Danish-registered cargo ship, usingassault rifles in a failed attempt to hijack the ship.[1] ARussian Navy spokesman, Igor Dygalo, said that the pirates attempted twice to capture the ship, and were rebuffed by British and Russian helicopters operating fromHMS Cumberland and the RussianfrigateNeustrashimy respectively.[6] However, Russian involvement in preventing the pirates from capturingPowerful has been disputed by the Royal Navy.[1]
Later that day,Cumberland detected the dhow, which was towing askiff, and identified it as a vessel involved in the attack againstPowerful.[1] TheRoyal Marines unit on boardCumberland was dispatched inRigid Raider craft towards the dhow.[1] The Marines then proceeded to circle the dhow,[1] which had on board 12 men armed with rocket launchers and machine guns,[2] in an attempt to force it to stop.[1]
The pirates opened fire on them, but no casualties were sustained by the Marines.[1] Returning fire, the Marines killed two Somalis. The pirates subsequently surrendered, and the Marines boarded the dhow.[1] The Royal Navy described the boarding itself as "compliant".[1] Russia has claimed that one of its helicopters, based aboardNeustrashimy, was involved in this firefight between the pirates and the Marines, though the Royal Navy deny this claim, stating that the Marines were supported by aLynx helicopter from HMSCumberland.[1]
| “ | This [November 11, 2008 incident off Somalia] is bound to have an impact on pirates who for the last two years have been getting away with seizing vessels and receiving large ransoms. Now suddenly there’s the threat of death and this may force them to think again, but they are determined people, so we’ll have to see.[1] | ” |
| – Captain Mike Davis-Marks, a senior spokesman for the Royal Navy. | ||
On board the dhow was aYemeni male who, despite receiving emergency treatment, died from his injuries.[5] The BritishMinistry of Defence reported that it was unclear as to whether the fatal injuries were the result of the gunfight, or whether they were sustained beforehand.[5] The incident, according toThe Times, "signalled a new policy of maximum robustness for the Royal Navy on the high seas".[1]
The remaining eight men who had been captured on board the dhow along with the bodies of the two pirates killed were transferred to RFA Wave Knight. The eight survivors were handed over to Kenyan authorities in Mombasa on November 18 while the two dead pirates were later buried at sea off the eastern coast of Somalia.[7]
