The U.S. Navy last week rescued a crew of 13 Iranian sailors from Somali pirates. The sailors were held hostage for several weeks. The New York Times has a riveting account of the rescue here. The Navy released the following photos of the rescue. See them below:
A Sailor assigned to the guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd’s (DDG 100) visit, board, search and seizure team greets a crew member of the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai.
A U.S. Navy SH-60S Sea Hawk provides support to a visit, board, search and seizure team in a 7-meter rigid-hull inflatable boat, assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100).
A Sailor aboard a safety boat observes a visit, board, search and seizure team, assigned to guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100), board the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) responded to a distress call from the master of the Iranian-flagged fishing dhow Al Molai, who stated he was held captive by pirates.
[Captions and photos provided by the U.S. Navy]