HMS Cumberland: off Tripoli w/ Lynx helos

A team of six UK officials has arrived in Libya's capital, Tripoli while HMS Cumberland departed from Crete. The frigate, which was commissioned in 1989, is one of four axed in the government’s Strategic Defence and Security Review in October last year. She is due to leave service in April this year.


Cornwall class (Type 22 Batch 3) frigates

Displacement: 4,850 tons full load
Dimensions: 148.10 x 14.75 x 6.0 meters (486 x 48 x 19.5 feet)
Propulsion: 2 shafts, 2 RM1C cruise gas turbines, 10,680 shp, 18 knots;
2 SM1A boost gas turbines, 37,540 shp, 30 knots
Crew: 232 (245 as flagship)
Aviation: aft helicopter deck with hangar; 2 Sea Lynx helicopters
Radar: Type 967M surface/air search
Sonar: Type 2050 hull, Type 2031(Z) towed
Fire Control: 2 Type 911 missile control
EW: UAA-2 intercept, 2 Type 675 jammer, 4 decoy, Type 182 towed
Armament: 8 Harpoon, 2 6-cell Sea Wolf (72 missiles total, manual
reload), 1 114mm/55 DP, 1 30 mm Goalkeeper CIWS, 2 triple 12.75 inch torpedo
tubes, 2 30 mm

Taipan: Dutch helo seizes boxship by rappelling

At a quarter to ten this morning, April 6, De Zeven Provinciën class [very similar to the German Sachsen class] frigate HNLMS Tromp (F803) received a distress call from the German containership MS Taipan, IMO Number: 8105911 Flag: Liberia, which was attacked by pirates. The crew had retreated to a secure area onboard.. In a first aerial reconnaissance showed that indeed pirates were on board the merchant ship . Two pirate open skiffs now dragged behind the Taipan.



. In consultation with the authorities in the Netherlands it was then decided to relieve the merchant vessel. While approaching Tromp, Dutch sailors discovered the pirate mothership, which also was heading to the Taipan. After the ship was warned by VHF and received no response came, the cannon aboard the Tromp fired a few warning shots. . Then came the mother ship and the hijackers chose their heels.


. Initially, the pirates tried to board the Taipan via VHF radio and a special megaphone to persuade to surrender. When no response came, and then it was clear that the pirate had not found the crew HNLMS Tromp was told to act.

The boarding team, consisting of the Intervention Unit of the Marine Corps, from the Lynx using the fast rope method dropped on the vessel During this action both the Tromp, and the helicopter fired on the bridge of the vessel to scare the pirates. Nobody was injured as a result of the shots. ran through other circumstances, One of the marines sustained minor injuries during the operation. His family has been notified.

All 15 crew members of the Taipan were unharmed after the action in the secure compartment. The pirates were arrested and are aboard the Tromp. The crew of the Taipan made statements about the incident. Despite damage to the bridge, formed during the action, the ship can continue its course independently.

FGS Emden: board, disembark two pirate PAGs

Brandenburg Class (Type 123) FGS EMDEN's helicopter found one whaler and two attack skiffs with twelve persons onboard on the 18th of March, it carries two AgustaWestland Sea Lynx mk88 helicopters and a rigid inflatable boat for boarding operations

When the suspected pirates noticed the presence of the helicopter, they tried to escape, and it took warning shots to stop them fleeing. They then jumped overboard and swam to their mother ship. More warning shots were required to stop the whaler that tried to escape as well.
Two days later the EMDEN’s helicopter discovered a new PAG, consisting of one mother ship (whaler) and two skiffs in tow about 250 nautical miles from Somali coast. Initially, the mother ship refused to stop and to follow the instructions given by the helicopter. Warning shots were necessary to stop them and finally a boarding team was sent onboard the PAG. The boarding team destroyed several weapons, grappling hooks and ladders and afterwards the two skiffs were destroyed as well. As a result of this action, two attack skiffs were destroyed and grappling hooks were seized.