Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden | |||||||
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Part of Piracy in Somalia, Operation Ocean Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa | |||||||
South Korean commandos raid the chemical tanker, MV Samho Jewelry, during Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Republic of Korea Navy Supported by: Royal Navy of Oman United States Navy |
Somali pirates | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Republic of Korea Navy Captain Cho Young-joo |
Abdi Risqe Shakh † Suti Ali Harut † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1 destroyer 1 helicopter 30 ROKNSWF |
1 chemical tanker 17~20 pirates | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
January 18: 3 wounded January 21: none |
January 18: 4+ killed or missing January 21: 8 killed 5 captured | ||||||
1 civilian wounded | |||||||
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
Background
On January 15, 2011, the
On January 16, South Korean president
Engagements
Once Choi Young caught up with Samho Jewelry, it pursued the tanker until the pirates aboard were fatigued.
January 18
On January 18, the pirates aboard Samho Jewelry sighted a Mongolian cargo vessel about 11 km (5.9 nmi) away. Four of the pirates embarked on a small motorboat to hijack it. With only thirteen pirates remaining behind, a group of ten commandos from Choi Young attempted to approach Samho Jewelry in a speedboat. However, three of the commandos were injured in the ensuing firefight and the speedboat returned to the destroyer.[1][18]
A Westland Lynx helicopter was sent after the hijackers in the motorboat heading towards the Mongolian ship. All four of the pirates from that confrontation were either killed or disappeared overboard.[1][18] After the Mongolian vessel was able to proceed safely, the crew of Choi Young recovered the remnants of the hijackers' motorboat. Three rusty AK-47 rifles and an ammunition magazine were retrieved, along with three small iron ladders for boarding and various tools, including a screwdriver, a spanner, and several fishing knives. As the pirates had only six AK-47 rifles in total and three of them had now been confiscated, they had lost half of their firearms and about a quarter of their personnel.[19][20]
After this engagement, the South Korean military decided to initiate a boarding operation, as intelligence reports suggested that the remaining captors were exhausted and that additional pirates were being dispatched from Somalia to reinforce them.[4]
January 21
The boarding of Samho Jewelry began on January 21 at 04:58 local time and took place at about 700
Aftermath
After news of the incident reached South Korea, South Korean President
Legal proceedings
It was announced on January 29 that five pirates captured in the operation had been transported to South Korea, where they were charged with attempted murder and maritime robbery.
On May 27, 2011, Arai Mahomed was sentenced to life in prison, while three other pirates were sentenced to between 13 and 15 years in prison.[29] The last pirate was tried separately, and received a sentence of 15 years in prison.[30]
See also
- List of armed conflicts and attacks, 2011
- List of ships attacked by Somali pirates in 2011
- Combined Task Force 150 and Combined Task Force 151, coalition counter-piracy operations in the region.
- Maersk Alabama hijacking
Notes
- ^ a b c d e Kim, Christine (January 22, 2011). "Navy storms hijacked ship, rescues all 21 sailors". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
- ^ a b "South Korean commandos storm hijacked freighter". CTV Television Network. January 21, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
- ^ a b c d Hancocks, Paula; Keyes, Charley (January 21, 2011). "South Koreans pull off daring rescue of pirated ship". CNN. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f "South Korea rescues Samho Jewelry crew from pirates". BBC News. January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Kirk, Donald (January 21, 2011). "South Korea delivers setback to Somali pirates, and a warning to North Korea". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ "S Korean navy rescues hijacked vessel: East Africa agency". Xinhua News Agency. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Ser, Myo-ja; Hwang, Sun-yoon (January 25, 2011). "Wounded hero captain fights for life". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
- ^ a b c Lee, Su-Hyun; Crew, Kevin (January 21, 2011). "South Korea Rescues Crew and Ship From Pirates". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2011.(subscription required)
- ^ Berglund, Nina (January 24, 2011). "Pirate battle frees Norwegian ship". Views and News from Norway. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ "A heroic rescue for the ages". JoongAng Ilbo. January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- Yonhap. January 16, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
- Yonhap. January 31, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
- ^ Pflanz, Mike (January 21, 2011). "South Korean commando raid kills eight Somali pirates". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Watts, p. 125
- ^ "S. Korean Navy Frees Crew of Hijacked Chemical Tanker". Voice of America. January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ Jung, Ha-Won (January 24, 2011). "High-tech gear helped S. Korea raid on pirates". StarAfrica.com. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
- ^ 장, 일현 (January 22, 2011). "'아덴만 여명 작전' 300분의 재구성" ['Operation over the Gulf of Aden' Reconstruction of 300 minutes]. The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
- ^ a b 이, 해인 (January 23, 2011). "1차 작전 실패‥"해적 거짓항복에 속았다"". MBC News. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "노획한 소말리아 해적 보트와 소총 공개". YTN. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
- ^ "S. Korean navy team frees hijacked cargo ship; kills Somali pirates". SeaNews Turkey. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
- ^ Yonhap. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ McCurry, Justin (January 21, 2011). "Eight Somali pirates killed as South Korea rescues freighter crew". The Guardian. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Kirk, Donald (January 21, 2011). "South Korea delivers setback to Somali pirates, and a warning to North Korea". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
- ^ Hassan, Abdiqani (January 23, 2011). "Somali pirates threaten to kill Korean hostages". Reuters. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
- ^ a b "Somalis accused of piracy are flown to South Korea". BBC News. January 29, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
- Yonhap. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
- ^ "Somali Pirates Give Conflicting Evidence". The Chosun Ilbo. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ "Rescued Korea crew slam pirate brutality". Gulf Times. February 3, 2011. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
- ^ 박, 준오 (May 28, 2011). "'아라이 무기징역' 등 소말리아 해적 중형 선고". MBC Newsdesk. Archived from the original on November 28, 2012. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
- ^ "South Korea Jails Somali Pirate For 15 Years". Capital News. May 28, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
References
- Watts, Anthony J. (2006). Jane's Warship Recognition Guide (4 ed.). London: OCLC 63185682.