You have probably read the stupid criminal stories before. You know, like the bank robber that writes his hold up note on his deposit slip that contains all of his personal information. Today, I read an international stupid criminal headline on Yahoo…”Somali pirates attack French military flagship.”
If you’ve been reading the news lately, you know that pirate attacks are on the rise, particularly off the coast of Somalia. We are not talking charming Jack Sparrow pirates, but honest to God modern day pirates. I really shouldn’t make fun of these pirates. I am sure their piracy is just an act of desperation from a people that haven’t had a government for years and are literally starving to death. But, these pirates were particularly dumb, so I will continue with the blog.
Yesterday, Somali pirates attacked a ship, but didn’t realize they were attacking the 18,000 ton flagship La Somme of the French Navy. You may be wondering how pirates mistakenly attacked a huge naval ship. Admiral Christophe Prazuck blamed it on darkness, saying that the pirates surely thought it was a lucrative commercial vessel.
The sailors easily fought off the attack. Once the pirates realized their mistake, they tried to flee, but the ship chased them and eventually apprehended five of the pirates on one skiff. However, another skiff of pirates was able to get away. Other French vessels arrived in the area to search for the second skiff, but haven’t found it yet.
Actually, as crazy as this story may seem, this is not the first time Somali pirates have attacked a French naval ship. Back in May, more pirates were captured trying to board a French frigate in the same area.
While the Somalis weren’t successful this time, I don’t doubt that the pirating will continue. According to statistics from Ecoterra International, this year alone there were 163 attacks by Somali pirates and 47 of them were successful.
(This image is a work of a sailor or employee of the U.S. Navy, taken or made during the course of the person’s official duties. As a work of the U.S. federal government, the image is in the public domain.)