GULF OF ADEN – Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57), assigned to the CMF’s counter-piracy mission Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, repaired a vessel in distress in the Gulf of Aden, Sept. 17.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven B. King/Released)
Mitscher assisted the Yemeni-flagged fishing dhow Leymun Al-Mahra, which had been adrift for seven days after its battery died. Sailors aboard Mitscher spotted the five-man crew waving water jugs in the air at approximately 7:30 a.m. local time, Sept. 15, while on a routine patrol in the Internationally Recommened Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven B. King/Released)
Over the course of their assistance, Mitscher remained within 100 yards of Leymun Al-Mahra to ensure its safety as the dhow was drifting through the major shipping lanes of the IRTC. Mitscher provided water, food and engineering assistance to the crew: two three-gallon containers of potable water, four cases of bottled water, 15 loaves of bread, six gallons of distilled water for the dhow’s radiator and eight quarts of motor oil. Sailors from Mitscher were able to make repairs and charge the dhow’s batteries, allowing the Leymun Al-Mahra to continue safely on its way to port.
In accordance with International Maritime Laws and United Nations Security Council Resolutions, and in cooperation with non-member forces, CTF 151’s mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to engage with regional and other partners to build capacity and improve relevant capabilities, in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation.
(U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Deven B. King/Released)
CTF 151 is one of three task forces operating under the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 25-nation coalition. CTF 151′s counter-piracy operations focus on the Gulf of Aden, Southern Red Sea, Arabian Sea and Somali basin, an area encompassing 2.5 million square miles.
