Marines storm German vessel to seize pirates

“U.S. forces board pirate-captured vessel, seize control

By the CNN Wire Staff

September 9, 2010 10:51 a.m. EDT

 (CNN) -- U.S. Marines boarded and seized control Thursday of a German-owned vessel that pirates had captured the day before off the coast of Somalia, the U.S. Fifth Fleet said.

It's the first time U.S. military forces off Somalia have staged an action to board a commercial vessel in which pirates were on board with hostages, said a U.S. Navy spokesman, who was not authorized to speak publicly but had direct knowledge of the incident.

The action came about because the highly specialized Marine raiding force -- the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit's Maritime Raid Force -- was nearby, the spokesman said.

Twenty-four U.S. Marines from the force, which was aboard the USS Dubuque and operating under the multinational anti-piracy combined task force, boarded the M/V Magellan Star at about 5 a.m. local time, the Fifth Fleet said.

"This successful mission by combined maritime forces secured the safety of the ship's crew and returned control of the ship to the civilian mariners," a Fifth Fleet statement said.

No shots were fired, the Navy spokesman said, and there were no injuries. The pirates surrendered "within minutes."

U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates approved the mission, the spokesman said, and the military had permission from the ship's owners to board it.”