US Navy dry cargo and ammunition ship, 'USNS Lewis and Clark' has managed to outrun pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia, the Navy said yesterday (May 7).
The attempted pirate attack took place on Wednesday (May 6) when two pirate skiffs chased 'USNS Lewis and Clark' for over an hour. The Navy said that the pirates managed to get as close as one nautical mile to the ship.
According to CNN, the 'USNS Lewis and Clark's' security team issued verbal warnings to the pirates who then fired small arms at the ship. The Navy said that the bullets fell short of the ship's stern.
The pirates gave up the chase shortly after that, when the US ship sped up.
"The actions taken by 'Lewis and Clark' were exactly what the US Navy has been recommending to prevent piracy attacks for both commercial and military vessels," Captain Steve Kelly, Commander of Task Force 53, assigned to 'Lewis and Clark' was quoted as saying by CNN.
"Merchant mariners can and should use 'Lewis and Clark's' actions as an unequivocal example of how to prevent a successful attack from occurring."
