Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden

Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden[3] (Korean: 아덴만 여명 작전) was a naval operation by the Republic of Korea Navy against Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. The operation was spurred by the pirates' seizure of the South Korean chemical tanker Samho Jewelry. In response, the South Korean government sent a destroyer and 30 naval commandos to retake the ship and rescue its crew.[4] After trailing the tanker for several days and fighting a preliminary engagement that neutralized four of the pirates, the South Korean forces retook the ship by force on January 21, 2011 in a successful boarding action that resulted in the deaths of eight and the capture of five out of thirteen pirates.

Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
Part of Piracy in Somalia, Operation Ocean Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa

South Korean commandos raid the chemical tanker, MV Samho Jewelry, during Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden.
Date18–21 January 2011[1]
Location
Arabian Sea, near the Gulf of Aden
14.5°N 56.5°E / 14.5; 56.5
Result

South Korean victory

  • All 21 hostages safely rescued
Belligerents
 Republic of Korea Navy
Supported by:
 Royal Navy of Oman
 United States Navy		 Somali pirates
Commanders and leaders
Captain Cho Young-joo Abdi Risqe Shakh †
Suti Ali Harut †
Strength
1 destroyer
1 helicopter
30 ROKNSWF		 1 chemical tanker
17~20 pirates
Casualties and losses
January 18:
3 wounded
January 21:
none		 January 18:
4+ killed or missing
January 21:
8 killed
5 captured
1 civilian wounded
Approximate location of rescue operation[2]

Background

On January 15, 2011, the Norwegian-owned chemical tanker Samho Jewelry was sailing through the Arabian Sea from the United Arab Emirates to Sri Lanka when it was attacked by a group of Somali pirates 350 nautical miles (600 km; 400 mi) southeast of the port of Muscat, Oman.[2][5][6] Tanker captain Seok Hae-gyun changed the ship's course to keep in international waters as long as possible.[7] The pirates eventually seized the tanker and used it as a base from which to launch attacks on other ships.[8] The South Korean operator of the vessel, the Samho Shipping Company, was facing huge losses because it was obligated to continue paying Norwegian investors under its charter even while the vessel was held by pirates. However, the Norwegian government had no military presence in the area at the time.[9] Eight South Koreans,[10] eleven Burmese, and two Indonesians were among the 21 crewmembers being held hostage.[4]

ROKS Choi Young in July 2010.

On January 16, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak issued an order to "comprehensively deal with" the crisis.[11] The Chungmugong Yi Sun-shin-class destroyer ROKS Choi Young was dispatched under Captain Cho Young-joo, commander of the Cheonghae Anti-piracy Unit.[12] The unit included members of the Republic of Korea Navy Special Warfare Flotilla.[13] The 30 commandos aboard Choi Young could be deployed with several small boats and a Westland Super Lynx helicopter.[1][14] Additionally, warships from the United States and Omani navies were nearby.[3][15] In contrast, the pirates were outnumbered with only 17 men aboard the tanker.[1] They were also outgunned by the Koreans, possessing only assault rifles and rocket propelled grenades.[8]

Engagements

Once Choi Young caught up with Samho Jewelry, it pursued the tanker until the pirates aboard were fatigued.[4] Several fake attacks were staged to further wear down the pirate crew. Communications jamming was utilized to prevent the pirates from calling for assistance.[16][17]

January 18
A South Korean Navy Westland Lynx in mid-2006.

On January 18, the pirates aboard Samho Jewelry sighted a Mongolian cargo vessel about 11 km (5.9 nmi) away. Four of the pirates embarked on a small motorboat to hijack it. With only thirteen pirates remaining behind, a group of ten commandos from Choi Young attempted to approach Samho Jewelry in a speedboat. However, three of the commandos were injured in the ensuing firefight and the speedboat returned to the destroyer.[1][18]

A Westland Lynx helicopter was sent after the hijackers in the motorboat heading towards the Mongolian ship. All four of the pirates from that confrontation were either killed or disappeared overboard.[1][18] After the Mongolian vessel was able to proceed safely, the crew of Choi Young recovered the remnants of the hijackers' motorboat. Three rusty AK-47 rifles and an ammunition magazine were retrieved, along with three small iron ladders for boarding and various tools, including a screwdriver, a spanner, and several fishing knives. As the pirates had only six AK-47 rifles in total and three of them had now been confiscated, they had lost half of their firearms and about a quarter of their personnel.[19][20]

After this engagement, the South Korean military decided to initiate a boarding operation, as intelligence reports suggested that the remaining captors were exhausted and that additional pirates were being dispatched from Somalia to reinforce them.[4]

January 21

The boarding of Samho Jewelry began on January 21 at 04:58 local time and took place at about 700 nautical miles (1,300 km; 800 mi) from Somalia's coast.[4][21] While Navy commandos used three fast boats to reach the tanker, the helicopter from Choi Young fired upon the tanker, killing several pirates.[21] Once the commandos boarded the ship, the pirates, armed with AK-47 assault rifles and rocket-propelled grenades, initiated a firefight that resulted in eight pirates killed and five captured; while the captain of the tanker was wounded, he was expected to survive.[21][22] The U.S. Navy destroyer USS Shoup also assisted in the operation by evacuating the tanker's wounded captain via helicopter after the firefight had ended.[3] In all, the operation took about five hours to complete.[8] The rescue was called "a perfect military operation" by Lieutenant General Lee Sung-ho, Chief Director for Operations of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Republic of Korea.[4]

Aftermath

After news of the incident reached South Korea, South Korean President Lee Myung-bak appeared on television and praised the South Korean military for its actions in the operation and issued a warning that it would respond strongly to anyone who threatened the Korean people.[3] The operation was seen as a huge success by the media, who noted the strong response to the pirates in contrast to the South Korean government's response to several North Korean provocations that had occurred in previous months such as the bombardment of Yeonpyeong.[23] It was reported that due to the strong show of force by South Korea to the hijacking, some Somali pirates intended to "seek revenge" for the South Korean Navy's actions. The pirates said that they would no longer attempt to hold South Korean-flagged ships and sailors for ransom, but instead attack the ships and kill the sailors.[24]

It was announced on January 29 that five pirates captured in the operation had been transported to South Korea, where they were charged with attempted murder and maritime robbery.[25] The investigation proceeded in the city of Busan, as both Samho Jewelry and her captain were based there.[25] After interrogating the captured pirates, the Republic of Korea Coast Guard determined that the leader, Abdi Risqe Shakh, 28, and his lieutenant, Suti Ali Harut, had been killed during one of the two raids.[26] The surviving pirates denied knowing one another, nor who had shot the captain of the tanker, though investigators suspected Arai Mahomed of being the gunman.[27] The defendants faced charges of maritime robbery, attempted murder and ship hijacking.[28]

On May 27, 2011, Arai Mahomed was sentenced to life in prison, while three other pirates were sentenced to between 13 and 15 years in prison.[29] The last pirate was tried separately, and received a sentence of 15 years in prison.[30]

See also

Notes
  1. Kim, Christine (January 22, 2011). "Navy storms hijacked ship, rescues all 21 sailors". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved February 7, 2011.
  2. "South Korean commandos storm hijacked freighter". CTV Television Network. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. Hancocks, Paula; Keyes, Charley (January 21, 2011). "South Koreans pull off daring rescue of pirated ship". CNN. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  4. "South Korea rescues Samho Jewelry crew from pirates". BBC News. January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  5. Kirk, Donald (January 21, 2011). "South Korea delivers setback to Somali pirates, and a warning to North Korea". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  6. "S Korean navy rescues hijacked vessel: East Africa agency". Xinhua News Agency. January 21, 2011. Archived from the original on January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  7. Ser, Myo-ja; Hwang, Sun-yoon (January 25, 2011). "Wounded hero captain fights for life". JoongAng Ilbo. Retrieved January 26, 2011.
  8. Lee, Su-Hyun; Crew, Kevin (January 21, 2011). "South Korea Rescues Crew and Ship From Pirates". The New York Times. Retrieved January 21, 2011.(subscription required)
  9. Berglund, Nina (January 24, 2011). "Pirate battle frees Norwegian ship". Views and News from Norway. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  10. "A heroic rescue for the ages". JoongAng Ilbo. January 24, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  11. "Korean crew of Samho Jewelry expected to return home late next week". Yonhap. January 16, 2011. Retrieved February 3, 2011.
  12. "Remaining 7 S. Korean crew members of freed cargo ship to arrive home Wednesday". Yonhap. January 31, 2011. Retrieved January 31, 2011.
  13. Pflanz, Mike (January 21, 2011). "South Korean commando raid kills eight Somali pirates". The Telegraph. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  14. Watts, p. 125
  15. "S. Korean Navy Frees Crew of Hijacked Chemical Tanker". Voice of America. January 21, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  16. Jung, Ha-Won (January 24, 2011). "High-tech gear helped S. Korea raid on pirates". StarAfrica.com. Agence France-Presse. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2011.
  17. 장, 일현 (January 22, 2011). "'아덴만 여명 작전' 300분의 재구성" ['Operation over the Gulf of Aden' Reconstruction of 300 minutes]. The Chosun Ilbo. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  18. 이, 해인 (January 23, 2011). "1차 작전 실패‥"해적 거짓항복에 속았다"". MBC News. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  19. "노획한 소말리아 해적 보트와 소총 공개". YTN. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 5, 2011.
  20. "S. Korean navy team frees hijacked cargo ship; kills Somali pirates". SeaNews Turkey. January 21, 2011. Retrieved February 6, 2011.
  21. Deok-hyun (January 21, 2011). "S. Korean Navy frees hijacked cargo ship, kills 8 Somali pirates". Yonhap. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  22. McCurry, Justin (January 21, 2011). "Eight Somali pirates killed as South Korea rescues freighter crew". The Guardian. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  23. Kirk, Donald (January 21, 2011). "South Korea delivers setback to Somali pirates, and a warning to North Korea". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved January 21, 2011.
  24. Hassan, Abdiqani (January 23, 2011). "Somali pirates threaten to kill Korean hostages". Reuters. Retrieved January 24, 2011.
  25. "Somalis accused of piracy are flown to South Korea". BBC News. January 29, 2011. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  26. Kim, Christine (February 2, 2011). "Pirates held in Busan like Korean food, legal system". JoongAng Ilbo. Yonhap. Retrieved February 2, 2011.
  27. "Somali Pirates Give Conflicting Evidence". The Chosun Ilbo. February 4, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  28. "Rescued Korea crew slam pirate brutality". Gulf Times. February 3, 2011. Archived from the original on September 17, 2012. Retrieved February 4, 2011.
  29. 박, 준오 (May 28, 2011). "'아라이 무기징역' 등 소말리아 해적 중형 선고". MBC Newsdesk. Retrieved May 21, 2020.
  30. "South Korea Jails Somali Pirate For 15 Years". Capital News. May 28, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2020.

References
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