Navy chief's frustration at hostage-takers
THE head of the Royal Navy has spoken of his frustration that armed sailors were unable to rescue a British couple from Somali pirates.
The crew of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessel Wave Knight, which regularly operates out of Plymouth, was praised by Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, the First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Service, for their actions locating the hijacked yacht of Paul and Rachel Chandler.
But he said the crew, made up of 75 merchant seaman and 25 Royal Navy sailors, were not trained in hostage rescue and any action they took could have led to the Chandlers being killed.
Admiral Stanhope, who has lived in Exeter for more than 30 years, told The Times: "Two dead Chandlers would not have been good, and we wouldn't have wanted to be part of that.
"It's a huge piece of water and the fact that Wave Knight found the yacht was impressive, but we were not in a position to engage. We were too late for that.
"You need special expertise to deal with hostage rescue, and we didn't have that expertise.
"Sailors with pistols couldn't do the job of ensuring the safety of the Chandlers. It was highly frustrating.
"There were broad rules of engagement that had to be followed.
"It was a fairly easy decision to make, because the security of the Chandlers was the most important thing."
Somali pirates seized the Chandlers, from Tunbridge Wells, from their yacht on the night of October 23.
The RFA supply ship was sent to intercept the pirates and tried to head off the pirates' mothership, the Kota Wajar.
But their efforts were in vain, and the crew could only watch as the Chandlers were transferred by small boat from their yacht to the pirates' larger vessel.
"But what could it do under the circumstances?" Admiral Stanhope asked.
"Wave Knight is not a warship. There was only a flight on board, and as soon as they got close, the pirates threatened the hostages.
"They did the best they could, but the security of the Chandlers was the overriding factor."
The Chandlers had set off from the Seychelles bound for Tanzania in their yacht, Lynn Rival, when they were seized. They are being held in Somalia and pirates are demanding a $7 million (£4.26 million) for their release.
2 Comments
by Paul Reading, Surrey
Friday, November 20 2009, 7:52PM
“Admiral Stanhope's comments are a disgrace. "...what could it do..." The fact he does not know shows he is not fit for the position he holds.
What do you is you tell the pirates to immediately release all the hostages unharmed or you will attack and there will be no surviving pirates. You the pirates have two choices - release the hostages or die.
You have to convince the pirates that you do not care about the Chandlers, then they will release them. Their only bargaining power is the Chandlers and if you make it clear you don't care you remove their bargaining power. What chance to the Chandlers have now? Has the Navy's actions made the Chandlers more secure - NO.”
by Ashamed to be British, Portsmouth
Friday, November 20 2009, 11:22AM
“Sailors with pistols?
This is a well armed RFA, with a helicopter, sent to patrol hostile waters. The ship has previously apprehended heavily armed smuggling vessels. These pirates are in it for the money, they are not idealists looking to make a political point. If they were confronted with force they would not risk their own lives. Until one of the frustrated and humiliated crewmembers blew the whistle on this shameful inactivity the Navy remained silent on the matter. I suspect every member of the Navy below the 'top brass' feel ashamed to be associated with such a feeble force. Rather than sell their second new carrier to the French at a loss, perhaps they should sell it to the ever richer Somali pirates for a profit.”