Great Moments in Somali Pirate History

When you're out there in a couple of skiffs zipping over the waves looking for the big score, it's important to be able to recognize the difference between this, a freighter:

and this, a heavily-armed not-freighter, a Frigate in fact, the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp:

One of these could score you a big fat ransom. The other one not so much.

Troops aboard the Dutch warship HNLMS Tromp fired warning shots Wednesday off the coast of East Africa as suspected Somali pirates in two small skiffs raced toward their warship, the EU Naval Force said.

After the pirates realized they had made what spokesman Cmdr. John Harbour called a "rather silly mistake," they turned around and fled. EU Naval Force personnel tracked down the two skiffs and a third suspected mothership, finding ammunition and rocket-propelled grenades on board, said Harbour, a spokesman for the EU Naval Force.

The two skiffs were destroyed and the pirates were set free on the mothership after it had been cleared of weapons.

... huh?

I suppose there's not a lot for the pirates to worry about except for the inconvenience of losing a couple of little boats, a few RPGs and some rifles. I'll bet it's a total pain in the butt to find AK-47s and other small arms in Somalia.

posted by Dave In Texas at 10:16 PM

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