US warship evades pirate attack off Somali coast
The US Navy says an American warship that recently served as a prison for captured pirates has evaded an attack off the Somali coast by two boats that pursued the vessel for over an hour and fired light weapons.
The US Navy says an American warship that recently served as a prison for captured pirates has evaded an attack off the Somali coast by two boats that pursued the vessel for over an hour and fired light weapons.
Lt Nathan Christensen, a spokesman for the Navy's 5th Fleet, says the pirates closed within about a mile of the USNS Lewis and Clark on Wednesday before the logistics support ship increased speed and used evasive maneuvers to escape.
Christensen said on Thursday that the attack took place about 100 miles (160 kilometers) off the eastern coast of Somalia. The pirates fired "small arms weapons" but they fell short of the ship.
The Lewis and Clark was sailing to the Gulf of Aden with supplies for Navy ships patrolling the pirate-infested area.