U.S. Navy blocks Somali pirates

U.S. merchant sailors: Have no fear, the USS Bainbridge is here!

According to media reports, Somali pirates hoping to bolster a group of their comrades who are holding the captain of the Maersk Line’s Alabama hostage have decided not to cross paths with a U.S. Navy destroyer patrolling nearby.

The would-be reinforcements apparently decided to turn around after being warned not to come any closer. They made a smart decision.

The USS Bainbridge, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer commissioned in 2005, has considerable firewpower. The forty sixth ship in her class, she is armed with over one hundred missiles, four 12.7 mm guns, and the Aegis combat system. She has a top speed of over thirty knots – or nearly sixty kilometers an hour – and carries two SH-60 Seahawks (the naval equivalent of the UH-60 Black Hawk). She is manned by two hundred and seventy enlisted crewmembers and officers.

Bainbridge is being joined by the USS Boxer (a Wasp-class amphibious assault ship) in addition to the USS Halyburton, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate which arrived on the scene yesterday.