Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's legacy to the War on Terror has gone largely unreported by the major press.  Thanks to thirty years of socialist policies, Germany was forced to withdraw its naval presence around the Horn of Africa  to stop the bleeding from its failed economy.  The pirate attack last week on the luxury liner Seabourn Spirit  off the coast of Somalia was a logical outcome of this retreat.

While on its way from Alexandria in Egypt to Mombassa in Kenya, the ship was fired upon by pirates with small arms and Rocket Propelled Grenades (RPG).  A CENTCOM press release updates the situation, and notes that the US Navy has stepped in to help the Seabourn Spirit  to dispose of suspected unexploded ordinance that hit the ship.

US Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Mobile Unit Eight, Detachment Four linked up with the Seabourn Spirit at sea before its arrival in port.  They found that two RPG rounds had struck the Seabourn Spirit, so Officer in Charge, Lt. John Stewart and his team inspected both the suspected unexploded ordnance and the impact area of the second RPG.  Fortunately, the EOD Team determined that it was not a RPG warhead but was actually the remains of the RPG rocket motor.  They did confirm that the RPG warhead had detonated on impact.  Lt. Stewart said,

"Upon boarding the ship we verified that the ship had set the proper hazardous exclusion zone from the suspected UXO (Unexploded Ordnance).  We then made sure that the remnants of the RPG were no longer hazardous to the ship or the passengers."

Par for the course, US forces have been forced to pick up the slack for our supposed 'allies' who years ago have been unable or unwilling to play their part in defense of freedom.  Thanks for nothing, Herr Schroeder.

Doug Hanson  11—07—05

UPDATE from Dennis Sevakis:

The BBC reports:

A cruise liner attacked by pirates off Somalia has docked in the Seychelles after a rocket—propelled grenade was removed from a passenger cabin. US explosives experts boarded the Seabourn Spirit and removed the grenade, which was embedded in a wall.

Talk about being johnnie—on—the—spot! We have explosives experts in the Seychelles? Wow. Anyone on Planet Earth gets in trouble they just dial 1—800—USA—HELP.

Officials had feared that the grenade lodged in passenger accommodation might still pose a threat  But a US Coastguard spokesman said it had already exploded and was safely disposed of.

Coast Guard? Aren't they a little far off the coast? Maybe they're on a vacation cruise.

"A man with the bazooka aimed it right at me and I saw a big flash," Charles Supple, a 78—year—old retired doctor from California, told the Associated Press news agency. "Needless to say, I dropped the camera and dived. The grenade struck two decks above and about four rooms further forward. 'I could tell the guy firing the bazooka was smiling."

Maybe living in California does keep one young. At seventy—eight the guy is definitely not yet ready to cash it in as he's still blessed with good eye sight and an eponymous vigor. Sometimes I'd swear the AP makes up some of these names.

Saturday's brazen attack, 100 miles (160km) off the Somali coast, has been widely blamed on pirates, who regularly attack cargo ships and trading vessels off the Horn of Africa. But Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer refused to rule out the possibility that attackers deliberately targeted the US—owned ship in an act of terrorism.

How did the Australians get into this?

The IMB added that pirates appeared to have the protection of local warlords in Somalia, which has lacked effective central government since 1991. A UK maritime union, Numast, has called for Somali waters to be declared a war zone, offering greater safeguards for crews working in the region.

Perhaps now, with the 'Troubles' in France, our Gallic friends will be more willing to accommodate the U.S. at the U.N. and declare the whole planet a 'war zone', thus facilitating our efforts against jihadis and other assorted nuisances.