USS Nicholas Attacked by Suspected Pirates; Pirates Captured

by Amy Judd | April 1, 2010 at 07:33 am

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USS Nicholas Sunk a Suspected Pirate Ship After Taking Fire

The USS Nicholas took fire from a suspected pirate ship on Thursday and the crew aboard the USS Nicholas have now captured a group of suspected pirates.

It was shortly after midnight that the USS Nicholas took fire from this suspected pirate ship just west of the Seyschelles and then Nicholas started to pursue the attacking ship. It eventually disabled the ship and a team boarded the suspected pirate ship and detained three people on board.

On board the suspected pirate ship the crew found ammunition and cans of fuel. Two other suspected pirates were also detained aboard a 'mother ship' and those people will remain in the custody of the United States until further notice.

The USS Nicholas is part of the U.S military's Africa command fleet that is based in Norfolk, Virginia.

These waters off the coast of Somalia are very dangerous and have been plagued by bands of pirates attacking any ship that enters in to the waters. Somalia is considered one of the most dangerous places in the world with no laws and the country has not had a functioning government since the early 1990s.

Last week, one pirate was killed and several others were detained after a private security team thwarted an attack against a Panamanian-flagged cargo ship, the MV Almezaan. A European Union naval force was called in to assist the vessel.