Crewmembers aboard a Somali pirate ship took potshots at a U.S. Navy helicopter on a surveillance mission yesterday in an incident that was recorded by the aircraft’s spy camera.
According to a news release from the U.S. Fifth Fleet, Somali pirates aboard the Win Far, a Taiwanese-flagged vessel currently anchored south of Garacad, fired what was described as “a large caliber weapon” at Navy SH-60B Seahawk. No rounds struck the aircraft, which belongs to Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron Light 49, embarked aboard USS Chancellorsville. The crew did not realize they had been fired on until they reviewed their Forward Looking Infrared video, posted here:
The Win Far is suspected of being used as “mother ship” in recent pirate raids. U.S. Fifth Fleet says it was involved in the attack on the U.S.-flagged Maersk Alabama, an attack that ended with the dramatic rescue of the ship’s captain — and the shooting of three pirates by Navy snipers.
