U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) aided a stranded Somali skiff and returned it to shore, Aug. 13.
On Aug. 12, a SH-60B helicopter from the Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron, Light (HSL) 46 ‘Grandmasters,’ assigned to Anzio, spotted the small skiff approximately 45 miles from shore in the Gulf of Aden, with seven mariners waving their arms in apparent distress. Anzio approached and discovered that the skiff’s engines were inoperative. The mariners said they had been adrift for two days, and requested assistance.
Anzio provided food and water to the mariners, and attempted to repair the vessel’s engine. When repair efforts failed, the skiff was taken under tow by Anzio and its crew brought on board for the night.
The following morning, after closing the Somali coastline, the skiff’s crew returned to their boat, and were towed ashore by Anzio’s rigid hulled inflatable boat.
Anzio is deployed to the 5th Fleet area of responsibility, conducting counter-piracy operations to ensure safety and stability in the region.
[mappress] Source: navy, August 16, 2011;