History Repeating Itself

One of the main things the British Royal Navy and the American Navy did during the past two hundred years or so is not the fighting of wars, it has been the suppression of piracy around the globe. The two navies have been instrumental in guaranteeing the freedom of the seas that international trade depends on. Unfortunately, it looks like a case of forward into the past is developing off the Horn of Africa. An American naval vessel is en route to a ship that was captured by pirates off the coast of Somalia.

Gunmen wielding AK-47s stormed the Kenyan-owned MV Rozen on Sunday, taking hostage its six Kenyan and six Sri Lankan crew after intercepting the freighter by speedboat.

It was the third hijacking in two years of a ship hired to carry relief supplies by the U.N.'s World Food Programme (WFP).

Penny Ferguson, WFP spokeswoman in neighboring Kenya, said the United Nations understood the vessel was anchored off Bargal, a port in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region.

"We also understand a U.S. warship is heading to that area but that it is still in international waters," Ferguson said. "There has been no contact yet from the pirates and our biggest concern remains for the safety of the crew."

The ship, chartered by WFP from Mombasa-based Motaku Shipping Agency, was seized after unloading 1,800 metric tonnes of food aid at two northern Somali ports.

Somali pirates seized three Motaku vessels in 2005, holding one and its crew hostage for nearly 100 days. Two of those ships had been carrying WFP cargoes.

A Motaku director confirmed there had been no word yet from the hijackers, and said the company was waiting for any news.

Here's a list of American Naval casualties throughout the history of the service. There have been numerous engagements with pirates through the years. Here's an interesting collection of links about piracy.