USS Bainbridge: US Destroyer Tracking Somali Pirates

The USS Bainbridge is an American destroyer that has been sent to the Indian Ocean to assist the crew of the hijacked merchant marine ship, Maersk Alabama. The U.S. flagged ship was hijacked by the Somali pirates, as have many over the past few years. However, the American crew of the ship fought the pirates and regained control of the the ship.

A crew member was able to contact civilization via satellite phone and report the crew had retaken the ship but the pirates are holding the captain for ransom. They are holding Captain Richard Phillips in a lifeboat. Photos of the Maersk Alabama and Captain Phillips are here.

Captain Richard Phillips and Maersk Alabama

The waters off the coast of Somalia has been a lawless land for years and these pirate attacks have become more frequent in recent months. It seems apparent that any ship traveling through that area is going to have to be willing to fight off these Somali pirates by whatever means necessary before the attacks will stop.

The Second Mate of the merchant ship, Ken Quinn, reported that the crew had a lengthy battle with the pirates. After they secured their ship, they attempted to negotiate a deal with the pirates for the release of their captain. They released one of the attackers in exchange for the release of Capt. Phillips. However, after the deal was made and the pirate was released, they refused to release Captain Phillips.

At this time the U.S. Navy has dispatched the American warship, USS Bainbridge and other vessels to the scene.

Barack Obama has yet to make a statement about the attack on an American ship. Even though there have been numerous attacks on merchant ships off the coast of Somalia, this is the first time in modern history that the pirates have dared to attack and American ship and crew.

It seems apparent that the perception is that the United States is greatly weakened with this President and therefore predators around the world are pushing the envelope to see how he will respond to their aggressions towards the United States. We now have an attack on an American ship and a hostage situation on our hands. But Obama is still trying to charm Europe and put American interest under the control of the Untied Nations.

The last time the United States had pirate problems our forefathers built the USS Constitution to deal with them and end their terrorist attacks on our young nation. That was the end of our problems with the Barbary pirates.

March 27, 1794 - President George Washington signed “an act to provide a naval armament.” By authorizing the construction of six frigates (what we would call “cruisers” today) the Third Congress in effect creates the U.S. Navy. The immediate issue was the need to protect the large American merchant fleet from continuous and increasing attacks by the North African “Barbary pirate” states of Morocco, Algiers, Tunis, and Tripoli-as well as from aggressive high-seas practices of the British. The ships were designed by Mr. Joshua Humphreys, a Philadelphia Quaker and an innovative naval architect, and are to be built at six different cities. The contract for one of these ships, to be named USS CONSTITUTION, was given to Edmund Hartt’s shipyard in Boston, Massachusetts.

Obama likes to compare himself with our great presidents. Now that the rubber is meeting the road, will he be able to stack up against the courage of his predecessors and stand up to the enemies of our country? We haven’t seen anything from him yet.

The USS Bainbridge that is steaming its way to the Indian Ocean is the latest ship in a long history of ships carrying that name.

She was launched on November 13, 2003 at the Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. She is sponsored by Susan Bainbridge Hay who is the great-great-great granddaughter of Commodore William Bainbridge, the ships namesake. The USS Bainbridge was commissioned on November 12, 2005 under the command of Commander John M. Dorey. Her homeport is Norfolk, Virginia.

The ship currently features the Remote Mine-hunting System (RMS),[1] which includes the Remote Mine-hunting Vehicle (RMV), an unmanned craft that detects, classifies, and localizes underwater mines.