When you think of pirates, images of Black Beard, Captain Hook and Captain Jack Sparrow sailing on wooden ships probably comes to mind, yet piracy on the high seas is as real today as it was in the days of wind and sail.

Merchant ships, navigating the sea-lanes of the world, face this danger every day. Instead of sails and cannons however, today’s pirates use mother ship vessels, fast boats and AK-47s to hijack valuable merchant ships and hold their crews hostage.

They take the ships to secret locations and negotiate payments from companies that own them, often threatening the lives of the crew and the destruction of the ship. It is a dangerous but profitable business, and especially lucrative off the northern coast of Somalia.

Because of a sharp increase in pirale activity in the region, VP-46 Combat Air Crew 5 was recently tasked to detect, deter and, if necessary, disrupt piracy in the Gulf of Aden.

Approximately two hours into a recent patrol, the crew heard a distress call on the maritime common radio frequency. It was from the master of the Motor Vessel (MV) St. Anna, and stated that he and his ship were under attack by armed pirates. Adrenaline flowing, CAC-5 expeditiously closed the position to respond to St. Annas’s calls.

CAC-5 radar scanned the area and located four vessels corresponding with the given position. Upon arrival, CAC-5 found armed men in a skiff traveling alongside the merchant ship, attempting to board the vessel by hoisting a ladder above the rail of the deck.

Another small boat was approaching at a high rate of speed, proceeding toward St. Anna from an ocean-going tug likely used by the hijackers as a mother ship.

It was quickly decided that the best course of action was to descend, take an aggressive posture and disrupt the attack by all available means.

Lt. Cmdr. Matt Foster, CAC-5s plane commander, began a tight orbit over the merchant vessel and directed his In-Flight Technician, Aviation Technician 2nd Class Nick Strohmeyer, to prepare smoke markers to drop near the attacking vessels.

Tactical coordinator, Lt. Cmdr. Matt Ansley, called out the vessel’s location over the maritime common radio frequency and convinced the attackers, listening to the same frequency, into thinking that other military assets were on the way.

A smoke marker was dropped close to the attacking pirate skiff and another one close to the mother ship to steer her away. With the perceived threat of further maritime forces joining the scene because of the quick reaction of the Grey Knights, the pirates aborted their operation and returned to their mother ship. The crew further loitered in the area to ensure St. Anna’s safety and to report the position of the pirate vessels.

Because of the actions of the officers and aircrewmen of CAC-5, St. Anna and other merchant vessels in the Gulf continued their transits unimpeded.

The VP-46 Grey Knights are currently deployed to 5th Fleet in support of Combined Task Force 150 missions in the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman and around the Horn of Africa.