Cornwall frees pirate hostages after three-month ordeal

RAISING their arms in the air under the guns of HMS Cornwall, 17 Somali pirates surrender to the frigate – bringing to an end a 92-day reign of terror.

For this pirate ‘mother ship’ is actually a Yemeni fishing boat – with five of its crew held hostage by the 17 brigands since early November.

The fishermen have now been freed, the pirate skiffs (and all the associated piratical paraphernalia – ladders, grappling hooks, powerful outboard motors, fuel drums, weapons – sent to Davy Jones’ Locker) thanks to Cornwall’s boarding team.

The Fighting 99 responded to a distress signal from a South Korean merchantman after the Yong Jin spotted the dhow acting suspiciously.

The Type 22 stopped the battered vessel from attacking the Yong Jin, then prepared to board with the ship’s Lynx hovering overhead. It was, said Cornwall’s CO Cdr David Wilkinson, “a very slick operation”.

The team from Fleet Protection Group Royal Marines found 22 souls on board and plenty of evidence of pirate activity.

Further investigation revealed that five of the men were Yemenis, the rightful masters of the dhow. They’d been held prisoner by the Somalis since November 11.

The freebooters had then turned the dhow into their mother ship, ranging around the Horn of Africa, using three skiffs to carry out pirate raids.

“Our presence had a hugely-significant effect on the lives of the five Yemeni fishermen,” said Cdr Wilkinson.

“They’ve been freed from more than three months of pirate activity and can now return to their families.”

With no legal powers to detain the pirates, only to destroy their kit, the ship returned the Somalis to their native land before resuming her mission with Combined Task Force 151 in the Gulf of Aden.

Related tags .....

Frigates work together for the final time

In the foreground HMS Cumberland. Beyond her, her sister HMS Cornwall.

Never again will two Type 22 frigates work together on operations – in this case safeguarding the troubled waters east of Suez.

Both are conducting their final deployments: the Fighting Sausage initially in the Gulf, now outside it; Cornwall as the flagship of Combined Task Force 151 keeping pirates under the thumb off the Horn of Africa.

All four 22s were axed under last year’s defence review: HMS Chatham has already paid off, Campbeltown is due to decommission imminently.

Their two remaining sisters are now working in tandem in the Gulf of Oman against the ever-present threat of piracy in the busy shipping lanes between Somalia and the coasts of Iran and Pakistan. 

There was still time for a brief break from maritime security operations for this last, historic photo opportunity to produce some iconic imagery for the respective ship’s companies.

“Both of these ships have served our country well over more than 20 years in service,” said Capt Steve Dainton who is, understandably, “extremely proud” to be Cumberland’s last Commanding Officer.

“The name ‘Cumberland’ has been in use almost continuously for RN warships since 1695, with this ship being the sixteenth to bear the name: she has a proud lineage.  So I hope that, in time, there will be another HMS Cumberland.

“In the meantime, we continue to focus on the task in hand before we return to the UK in the spring.  As you’ll have seen in the news, the pirates are very active and an increasing threat: never has our job out here been more important to UK energy and trade interests in the region.”

A series of events will be held onboard in Devonport on the frigate’s return to mark Cumberland’s passing including a reception and dinner for former COs, a reception for ship’s company past and present,  and finally the decommissioning ceremony on May 26.

Related tags .....

Cornwall and Richmond meet up to tackle piracy

FRESH from a rendezvous with an old friend – the former HMS Active – another encounter with a well-known comrade for HMS Cornwall.

This time the Indian Ocean meet-up was with HMS Richmond, new to the area as she begins European Union humanitarian duties.

As the Type 23 has just arrived in Pirate Alley, while the Fighting 99 is an old hand, Richmond called upon Cornwall’s expertise.

Her command team received a thorough briefing on the latest information regarding brigandage in the region from the Type 22’s CO, Cdr David Wilkinson; his ship is currently the command vessel for Combined Task Force 151, one of several naval groups trying to deal with the problems of piracy, terrorism and smuggling in waters east of Suez.

As for Richmond, she’s attached to the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) under the direction of Spain’s Rear Admiral Juan Rodríguez.

As part of her wider anti-piracy mission, the newly-arrived frigate will shepherd aid ships into Somalia.

Richmond has been charged with escorting ships through the pirate gauntlet to ports in Somalia as part of the UN World Food Programme; half the Somali population depends upon these deliveries for their survival.

“It is this challenge that provides the greatest reward for many of the sailors in HMS Richmond, knowing that they have a key part to play in some of the most important events of today,” said the frigate’s Commanding Officer Capt Mike Walliker.

Before the rendezvous with Chatham, Richmond had paid a short visit to Djibouti – a first for many of the Type 23’s ship’s company.

As well as the usual tasks – maintenance, calls on local leaders and discussions about Richmond’s impending mission in the Indian Ocean – there were runs out for the warship’s rugby and football teams.

HMS Richmond breaks away from HMS Cornwall – as seen from the latter’s forecastle. Picture: LA(Phot) Dave Jenkins, FRPU East

Related tags .....

Mid-ocean rendezvous with an old friend for HMS Cornwall

WHAT does 21 plus 22 equal?

That’s right, naval firepower.

The 21 is Pakistan’s PNS Shah Jahan – formerly Type 21 frigate HMS Active – and the 22 is our very own HMS Cornwall, both keeping pirates under the knout off the Horn of Africa.

Cornwall is the flagship of Combined Task Force 151, the international naval force tackling piracy and other criminal activities in the Indian Ocean.

That task force is currently headed by Pakistan’s Cdre Aleem and his staff, and when Shah Jahan joined 151, it allowed a bit of an Anglo-Pakistani get together.

While the Shah Jahan’s Allouette helicopter ferried Cdre Aleem to the Pakistani frigate, Cornwall ship’s company enjoyed a rather more basic form of transport to take them across to the new arrival (ie sea boat).

A number of sailors from both ships ‘cross-polled’ for a glimpse of life in the respective navies, among them ET(WE) Sam Cassidy. He’s too young to have served on T21s... but he knows a man who did.

"It was amazing being in a ship that my father knew so well and that I had visited as a little boy –  the memories came flooding back,” he said.

“I’ve taken loads of photos for my dad and can’t wait to tell him all about it! And it was great to see her in such good shape and at the centre of Pakistan Navy operations.”

Active was laid down 40 years ago and served under the White Ensign, earning battle honours in the Falklands, until 1994 when she was sold to Pakistan.

Her crew were given a tour of the ship, received briefings on the current state of play in the fight against piracy and watched Cornwall’s upper deck team demonstrate how to deal with a small surface contact, while the Fighting 99’s Royal Marines boarding party worked with their Pakistani counterparts.

Apart from the meet ‘n’ greets and tours, there was an operational side to the rendezvous: as Shah Jahan has only recently joined CTF 151 this was an ideal opportunity for her key personnel to be brought up to date with activity in the region, including intelligence and situational briefs and some boarding training.

"Our links with the Pakistan Navy have always been strong,” said Cornwall’s CO Cdr David Wilkinson of the rendezvous with PNS Shah Jahan.

"It also brought back some very fond memories for those of us who were in the Royal Navy when HMS Active was still in commission under the White Ensign."

PNS Shah Jahan leads HMS Cornwall during the rendezvous. Picture: LA(Phot) Dave Jenkins

Related tags .....