L'an dernier, une trentaine d'attaques ont été recensées devant les côtes somaliennes, soit sensiblement le même nombre que l'année précédente.
Last year (2007), around 30 somali coast based attacks have been registered, approximately the same number as the year before.
One of the attacked ships, north corean cargo Dia Honga Dan
(en juin 2007) le Danica White est pris d'assaut par des hommes armés à 240 milles des côtes, soit plus de 400 kilomètres ! A une telle distance, le seul recours à de petites embarcations rapides partant d'une plage somalienne laisse sceptiques les militaires occidentaux. La présence de bateaux-bases, opérant en parallèle du trafic commercial, est aujourd'hui soupçonnée.
[In june 2007] The Danica White is assailed by armed men at 240 nautic miles from somali coasts, more than 400kms! At such a distance, the sole use of small rapid vessels is regarded doubtfully by western military. The existence of ship-carried bases, operating along the commercial traffic, is currently a good guess.
The Danica White, attacked in june 2007
Ainsi, les unités de la Task Force 150, volet maritime de l'opération de lutte anti-terrorisme Enduring Freedom, inspectent régulièrement des navires, notamment les boutres, et se portent au secours des bateaux en danger, comme c'est le cas aujourd'hui avec le Ponant.
Actually, units from task force 150, navy side of anti-terror "Enduring freedom" operation, are routinely inspecting ships, especially traditionnal small vessels, and provide help to vessels at risk, as is the case today with the "Ponant"
Attack on a pirate vessel by US navy in 2006
Escorting Worl Food Program ships to Somali
[for french vessels:] depuis 2001, une circulaire ministérielle a instauré le Contrôle Naval Volontaire.[...]Le CNV [...] couvre l'océan Indien et, depuis 2007, le détroit de Malacca, la zone la plus infestée du monde par les pirates.[...]. "Les armateurs s'engagent, quand ils fréquentent une zone à risque, à donner la position de leurs bateaux toutes les 12 heures."
[For french vessels:] since 2001, a ministry of defense instruction allows for a voluntary naval control.[...]. The VNC covers the Indian Ocean and, since 2007, the malacca straits, the most pirate infested world area.[...]"The freighters compromise to communicate their ship positions every 12 hours while they are navigating one of the risk zone."
frommer et marine
I'm afraid I'm not so good at translating, so please tell me if I made important mistakes. A free fox in a free henhouse!
I reckon you can look at the ships and work out whether the mission matches the rhetoric. For defending sea lanes from piracy, for example, a big deck aircraft carrier or a battleship with jump jet capabilities would be difficult to justify ... OTOH, a pocket carrier with the ability to support, say, 6 to 12 jump jets might be something that could be justified. I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
First no one has battleships anymore, second it sounds like you are talking about an escort carrier. Which is the thing you favour on the line below. ;) Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
The idea there was a ship that can come within range of on-shore weapons (eg, shore batteries / cruise missiles / shore based submarines) to project force without committing suicide, which the unarmored big deck aircraft carriers cannot do ...
... which is a mission that is not precisely the first priority for a free republic that is attempting to avoid excessive foreign entanglements.
BB-61 Iowa class Aviation Conversion I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
Maybe they'll start talking about it again if the Iranians manage to sink a Nimitz. Peak oil is not an energy crisis. It is a liquid fuel crisis.
However, they are blatantly about heading toward a hostile coast under fire, able, in the classic Battleship combat mission, to take fire and keep on going.
The biggest platform where I can see a plausible argument in terms of keeping sea lanes open against piracy and other forms of unruly behavior on the high seas is the Cruiser sized light aircraft carrier, like the Invincible and Illustrious.
Of course, Sarkozy's proposed European naval unit would form a battle group around one of the British light carriers, reportedly because the Charles De Gaulle is in dry dock for repairs. So saying that is the largest platform were a plausible role could be advanced is not the same as saying that no mischief could be done with the platform. I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
As for its use, you could say that a ship that allow planes to take off and patrol at sea may be useful to detect piracy and act quickly against it. A free fox in a free henhouse!
... or the Hyuga:
... which is carefully described as a helicopter platform, but then, so was the Illustrious when it was being built ... for political reasons then and now, as I understand. I've been accused of being a Marxist, yet while Harpo's my favourite, it's Groucho I'm always quoting. Odd, that.
