Yemen and the Action in Iraq - Part of the GWOT

Jane Novak, who covers Yemeni issues at her blog Armies of Liberation has a piece in The Weekly Standard titled Training Day on Yemen's connection to Iraqi insurgents:

Presidential assistant Frances Townsend has described the Yemeni regime as an "inconsistent" partner in the war on terror, but Yemen has been quite consistent in its appeasement and facilitation of al Qaeda and related jihadi groups, and, as a result, has played a significant role in the destabilization of Iraq.

Yemeni jihadists are found in Somalia, Chechnya, Afghanistan, and Lebanon. Yemenis also comprise one of the largest contingents of foreign fighters in Iraq. 1,289 Yemeni men had traveled to Iraq for jihad by mid-2006, and 153 of them had been killed, according to the Yemeni weekly Al Tajamo. Other reports place the figure as high as 1800. Most were teenagers, the paper found, and were swayed by extremist religious rhetoric. The majority went to Iraq during 2006, indicating an uptick in the flow.

Yemenis and North Africans perpetrate the bulk of suicide bombings in Iraq, a U.S. official reported. Yemenis Khaldoun al-Hukaimi and Saleh Mana escaped from an Aden prison in 2003 where they were held in connection with the bombing of the USS Cole. They committed suicide attacks in Baghdad in July 2005.

And that recent surge of chlorine gas attacks in Iraq may also be linked to Yemeni practice:

A number of sources reported that Yemen was using chlorine gas against the Shiite rebels in 2005, a full year before foreign fighters in Iraq adopted the same tactic.

Jane also makes some serious charges:

The extent of the Yemeni regime's commitment to the jihadist mentality became apparent in October 2000. The bombing of the USS Cole in the port of Aden was accomplished with the assistance of high level Yemeni officials and the government largely stonewalled the FBI's investigation. After 9/11, the regime grudgingly signed on to U.S. counter-terror efforts. However, many of the operatives thought complicit in the Cole bombing were later released, given light sentences, or managed to escape multiple times. With Yemen currently teetering on state failure, intensified U.S. pressure for administrative reform in Yemen, a mafia-like kleptocracy, may be too little, too late.

Read the whole thing. And then tell me why we should do away with the "Global War on Terrorism" thing...

Indian air chief discounts LTTE air threat

Says he: LTTE only an irritant: Indian air chief

However, the copycat aspect of the matter is troublesome:

Two light aircraft of LTTE flew all the way from the rebel-held north to Colombo, bombed the air base causing unspecified damage and flew back, covering a distance of about 600 km - that too at night.

The development is worrying security experts in Sri Lanka and elsewhere. It was the first instance of any insurgent group in the world using aircraft. (emphasis added)

Suing Cruise Lines

Some of you might find this interesting.

Maritime Monday 54 at Fred Fry International

While you are working on that next cuppa, go visit Fred Fry International: Maritime Monday 54. Want news of the sunk cruise ship of Greece? About a new bow design for bulk carriers? How about coverage of the Royal Nay hostage situation?

And, of course, much more of a maritime bent.

Maritime Security: Updates

From New Zealand: Ships to be tracked electronically:

All ships approaching New Zealand's coastline are to be tracked electronically as part of a major overhaul of shipping safety, designed to reduce accidents and prevent crime and terrorism.

Ships will be tracked from an operations centre in Lower Hutt, using a sophisticated monitoring system built and run by state-owned enterprise Kordia for Maritime New Zealand.

The International Maritime Organisation issued a global edict in 2000 that all ships weighing more than 300 tonnes must be fitted with GPS transceivers and computers that send a VHF signal every six to 20 seconds, depending on the ship's speed.

The signals identify the ship and provide a host of information about each vessel. This includes its location, direction, speed, turning angle, size and type of cargo.

Originally designed to reduce the risk of collisions at sea, the Automatic Identification System took on a new dimension after the September 11 terrorist attacks, says Maritime Operations Centre manager Brendan Comerford.

About Mexico: Mexican ports, oil rigs vulnerable to attacks:

When a group claiming to be part of al Qaeda in Saudi Arabia called in February for jihadists to strike Mexican oil installations in a bid to cripple the U.S. economy, Mexico announced that its navy had gone on alert and had stepped up surveillance of offshore oil platforms and port facilities.

A month later, however, a McClatchy reporter was able to approach Mexican oil installations virtually unchallenged, raising questions about how secure Mexico's ports are from terrorist attacks.

After Canada, Mexico is the largest foreign source of crude for the oil-addicted U.S. economy. An attack that seriously disrupted that supply could drive up gasoline prices in the United States as well as disrupt Mexico's economy, which is heavily dependent on oil revenues.

Some North Korea-Ethiopia transactions that might raise eyebrows:

Several officials said they first learned that Ethiopia planned to receive a delivery of military cargo from North Korea when the country's government alerted the U.S. Embassy in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, after the adoption on Oct. 14 of the U.N. Security Council measure imposing sanctions.

“The Ethiopians came back to us and said, “Look, we know we need to transition to different customers, but we just can't do that overnight,”' said one U.S. official, who added that the issue had been handled properly. “They pledged to work with us at the most senior levels.”

U.S. intelligence agencies in late January reported that an Ethiopian cargo ship that was probably carrying tank parts and other military equipment had left a North Korean port.

The exact value of the shipment is unclear, but Ethiopia purchased $20 million dollars worth of arms from North Korea in 2001, according to U.S. estimates, a general pattern that officials said had continued. The United States provides millions of dollars of foreign aid and some non-lethal military equipment to Ethiopia.

After a brief debate in Washington, the decision was made not to block the arms deal and to press Ethiopia

John R. Bolton, who helped to push the resolution imposing sanctions on North Korea through the Security Council in October, before stepping down as U.N. ambassador, said that the Ethiopians had long known that Washington was concerned about their arms purchases from North Korea and that the Bush administration should not have tolerated the January shipment.

“To make it clear to everyone how strongly we feel on this issue we should have gone to the Ethiopians and said they should send it back,” said Bolton, who said he was unaware of the deal before being contacted for this article. “I know they have been helpful in Somalia, but there is a nuclear weapons program in North Korea that is unhelpful for everybody worldwide.

“Never underestimate the strength of “clientitis' at the State Department,” said Bolton, using Washington jargon for a situation in which State Department officials are deemed to be overly sympathetic to the countries they conduct diplomacy with.

Sean McCormack, the State Department spokesman, declined to comment on the specifics of the arms shipment but said the United States was “deeply committed to upholding and enforcing U.N. Security Council resolutions.” Repeated efforts to contact the Ethiopian Embassy were unsuccessful.

In other cases, the United States has been strict in enforcing the Security Council resolution. For instance, U.S. intelligence agencies tracked a North Korean freighter suspected of carrying illicit weapons and pressed several nations to refuse to allow the ship to dock. The government of Myanmar, formerly Burma, finally allowed it to anchor and insisted that officials had found no cargo that violated the resolution.

Malta (and the Mediterranean) gets more Maritime Security -through U.S. Coast Guard training:

Maritime safety and security in the Mediterranean and West Africa will improve following the graduation of international officers who attended a second class held by the Armed Forces of Malta Search and Rescue Training Centre (SAR-TC). The graduation ceremony was officiated by Brigadier Carmel Vassallo, Commander AFM at Luqa Barracks last month.

Eleven students from Mauritania, Algeria, Egypt, Cyprus and Malta completed an intensive one-month Search Mission Coordinator and Counter Narcotics course that prepares them to execute all phases of a SAR case, from initial notification, to search planning and coordination, to resolution. It also provides students with a solid foundation of the drug threat, smuggling trends, international law regarding drugs and use of force in preventing drug smuggling.

The SAR-TC course has only been possible thanks to close cooperation between the AFM and the American Embassy. The AFM course instructors were all trained at the US Coast Guard’s National SAR School in Yorktown, Virginia. Training at the SAR-TC is modelled on US Coast Guard methodology and updated to International Aeronautical and Maritime SAR Manual standard.

Although the SAR-TC is an AFM facility, the US Coast Guard contributes to its instructor staff, both permanently and temporarily. Commander Brian Lisko, assigned to the American Embassy, is on the staff of the SAR-TC and regularly teaches several SAR classes to international students.

Sunday Ship History: Navy Coffee

Various forms of fuel may power ships, but what really keeps the United States Navy going is coffee. Not an original thought, as seen here:

One frequent World War II saying boasted that Navy ships operated on fuel oil and their crews operated on coffee.

But did you know that the Navy (and the Army) once operated their own coffee roasting plants? Yep, one source puts the Navy in the coffee business as far back as 1858:

Some time this year the Navy will close the coffee-roasting plants it started in 1858 because it was not satisfied with the quality or cost of commercial coffee.

That was in 1955, when President Eisenhower took heed of advice that the military shouldn't be competing with private industry.

Now, some claim that the Navy's coffee drinking habit was the fault of every sailor's least favorite Navy Secretary:

Secretary of the Navy Josephus Daniels, scandalized by reports of drunkenness aboard ship, issued an order 1919 banned the serving of wine in the wardroom and any consumption of alcoholic aboard ship. Daniels, a teetotaler, decreed that only coffee or tea should be served. This was not a popular order and Sailors promptly dubbed a cup of coffee as a "cup of joe."

I'm not sure Mr. Daniels is getting a fair rap, since the Army had long before substituted coffee and teas for liquor rations, as set out here:

Then it happened. President Andrew Jackson, a War of 1812 veteran, impatient with Congress, took matters into his own hands, and signed an Executive Order on October 25, 1832, dictating that coffee and sugar were to be substituted for the allowance of rum, whiskey, or brandy.

This Executive Order made the spirit ration an extra issue, subject to the discretion of the President. Army General Order No.100, 1832 directed that an issue of coffee and sugar, at the rate of 4 pounds of coffee and 8 pounds of sugar per 100 rations, would be substituted for alcohol. Since then coffee has remained a vital component of the U.S. Army soldier’s field ration.

Perhaps the Navy life-style also played a role in coffee becoming a mainstay for the fleet. Those long watches into the night required a degree of alertness that a little cup of coffee assisted in achieving. As with many things in the Navy, coffee inspired some poetry like the following found at the Goat Locker:

When Navy coffee's thick and black,
It guards against a heart attack,
And if it's strong enough, I'm sure
It functions as a cancer cure.
But best of all, it makes the days
Pass quickly in a caffeine haze.

But it was World War II that really set the Navy wheels grinding into action:

U. S. Navy officials, motivated by the belief that coffee is as important to personnel in the fleet as ammunition is to its weapons systems, were concerned early during wartime expansion in 1942 over the widely varying quality of the roasted coffee being supplied to ships and shore stations. The solution was to open Navy fresh coffee roasting plants on both the East and West coasts and later in Hawaii.
The coffee roasting plant at the Naval Supply Corps Depot Oakland, capable of roasting 13 million [NB E1: ? Probably should read "thousands"][ pounds an hour, went on line on Oct. 27, 1942. The plant annually produced 13.5 million pounds of freshly ground coffee from approximately 16 million pounds of green coffee beans obtained from Central and South America, usually from Brazil and Colombia.

During the period from opening in October 1942 to June 1948, the Oakland Coffee Roasting Plant blended, roasted and ground 115,830,896 pounds of green coffee into a total of 98,456,264 pounds of freshly ground and roasted coffee and packed them in 50-pound sacks of high-quality freshly roasted coffee for the Pacific Fleet. Coffee was also shipped to other Navy, Marine Corps and Army units throughout the Pacific, including bases in Western states.

A second coffee roasting plant, located at the Naval Clothing Depot at Brooklyn, N.Y., provided a similar service to the Atlantic Fleet and to other American military services in the North African and European theaters of operations. Both plants were operated until disestablished in 1956. An older Navy coffee roasting plant at Mare Island Shipyard in California was dismantled, shipped to Pearl Harbor, and began operation in July 1943 to meet expanding coffee needs of growing and rapidly advancing forces in the Central Pacific.

Despite the supply, demand always seemed to outpace production- making coffee a valuable trading item:

RADM Jim Miller, 37th Chief, reports, "When I was a young junior supply officer, skippers of my ships would always warn me to have 5-pound tins of coffee aboard when we visited Hong Kong. There, a sampan captained by 'Mary Sue' with a crew of young girls, would pull alongside arriving U.S. Navy ships and offer to paint our hulls in return for tins of coffee. We'd supply the paint and rollers and the women would use them to paint our ships." RADM Ted Walker, 35th Chief, adds, "A 5-pound tin of coffee would get almost anything done at a Navy shipyard."(from an Navy Supply Corps Newsletter article written by Rear Admiral Frank J. Alliston, SC, USNR (Ret.), and Captain Kathleen Jense, SC, USNR)

When the military coffee plants closed, then specifications had to be written as to what coffee might be purchased. Here's an example from 1996:

5.1.5.3 Moderately dark roasts. Moderately dark roasts are coffee beans/grounds that have a rich, dark color with an Agtron number between 40-50, and/or the SCAA roasted coffee color disk value Tile Number 45. This roast has some oil on the surface and with a slight bittersweet aftertaste.
5.1.5.4 Dark roasts. Dark roasts are coffee beans/grounds with shiny black beans that have an Agtron number between 30-40, and/or the SCAA roasted coffee color disk value Tile Number35. This roast has a glossy oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. The colors for dark roast coffees run from slightly dark to charred.

But in the military there is always planning going on for "worst case" scenarios like this Defense Technical Information Center research:

The purpose of this study was to: evaluate commercially available coffee extenders and substitutes; establish a data base on the effectiveness of extenders and substitutes in event of future increases in coffee bean prices; and design a consumer rating form to acquire sensory information. The following areas were investigated: reducing the amount of roasted and ground (R&G) coffee in armed Forces Recipe Service (AFRS) guidelines; replacing up to half the R&D coffee with carmel-based extenders; one-to-one substitution of roast grains for R&G coffee; three miscellaneous products; substitutions and reblending with African robusta coffee varieties. Field data confirmed laboratory findings. Recommendations on advantages and drawbacks to future deployment of extenders, substitutes and alternate varieties are provided.

Carmel based extenders?

Coffee has also "inspired" uniform colors:

KHAKI--originated in 1845 in India where British soldiers soaked white uniforms in mud, coffee, and curry powder to blend in with the landscape. Khakis made their debut in the U.S. Navy in 1912 when they were worn by naval aviators, and were adopted for submarines in 1931. In 1941 the Navy approved khakis for on- station wear by senior officers, and soon after Pearl Harbor chiefs and officers were authorized to wear khakis ashore on liberty.

Or, in another version:

There is a story, probably not quite true, that coffee made a significant contribution to naval attire. There had been a dust-up in 1914 involving naval personnel on an island just off Mexico. We won't go into detail, but suffice it to say some Americans wound up in jail (but you shouldda seen the other guys!). Anyway, the Marines, accompanied by a party of sailors, were going in to get them out. Problem was, the sailors had no appropriate attire, since their kit consisted of either blue woolens or dress whites, neither of which was deemed suitable for combat on a tropical shore. The problem was solved by an enterprising cook on a destroyer who dipped the whites into vats of coffee, thereby creating the first khakis. Well, maybe . . . it could've happened.

Sailors have never lacked for opinions on how to make Good Coffee as found at Seabee Cook.com:

A seaman working in the boatswain’s locker reports he was upbraided unmercifully by the chief boatswain’s mate for washing the coffee pot. "Never wash it, just rinse it gently!" the chief roared. Scouring a pot to its bare metal is more sacrilegious to a joe pot artist that scraping a pipe bowl is to a lifelong briar puffer.

Probably the most complicated joe pot ever used in the Navy was one rigged in the engineroom of a wartime transport. Designed and built through the combined efforts of several engineering, construction and coffee brewing "experts," it was a Rube Goldbergish-looking affair with a half a dozen pressure valves, vacuum lines, drain lines, safety valves and water and coffee level indicators. The "pot" would boil on either "hot" or exhaust steam through an arrangement that put a vacuum drag on it when desired. Procuring a cup of joe was more complicated that operating the main engines, and no one under a first class petty officer was allowed to touch it. Sailors who once tasted beverage brewed in this contraption say all other coffee is flat and tasteless in comparison.

Some things have changed in the Navy of today, but I have it on good authority that a good cup of coffee is still an essential component of the Fleet Sailor's life.

I could probably go on, but I feel the need for a cup of Joe.



General history of coffee here.

UPDATE: Image of coffee roaster "cooling cart" from here. Image of Admiral Burke with coffee cup from here. Caption:

Admiral Arleigh A. Burke, USN,
Chief of Naval Operations (at left)
With a Third Class Quartermaster on bridge of USS Picking (DD-685), circa 1955-1961. He is holding a Tennessee coffee cup marked with the Confederate battle flag.
U.S. Naval Historical Center Photograph.

UPDATE2: Agtron number? See here. SCAA color disks? See here. And an updated Federal "Commercial Item Description" for coffee here.

Happy Easter!

USS Washtenaw County (LST-1166)
"Chaplain Ted Edwards leads the Easter Sunrise Service aboard the USS Washtenaw County on station, South China Sea, in April." (quoted from the original 1960s or early 1970s era photo caption)

Official U.S. Navy Photograph, from the collections of the Naval Historical Center.

The LTTE (Tamil Tiger) threat to the U.S.

As set out here:

Mike Scheuer, former head of the al Qaeda Unit of the CIA and the present terrorism analyst of CBS TV said the Sri Lankan terrorist group LTTE stealing European passports and supplying them to al Qaeda terrorists provides another channel for the 9/11 attackers to enter United States for an assault.
***
In a different programme broadcast by the WTOP, National Security Correspondent J.J. Green on March 29 said, the al Qaeda related terrorist group LTTE, by bombing the Sri Lanka Air Force base, “sent shockwaves through many in the international intelligence community, because it comes days after it was learned they have also stolen and distributed thousands of European passports to its members, possibly opening the door to the U.S.”
He said, the LTTE, which is carrying on a secessionist campaign against the Sri Lankan Government, is not Muslim but the number one reason the US should be concerned about this organization is that it is having a working arrangement with al Qaeda. He further said, “They have a very clear working arrangement with al Qaeda. Osama bin Laden has a policy on maintaining strange bedfellows to achieve al Qaeda’s goals. He believes that al Qaeda should use the lesser evil to defeat the greater evil. They’ve employed this tactic many times in the past with the Russian Mafia, Chechen fighters, some of Saddam Hussein’s fighters after he was deposed. The LTTE is another example of that methodology.
“They’ve got their hands on Norwegian passports and European passport holders face significantly less hurdles when trying to enter the U.S. The LTTE is among the elite pioneers in terrorism, they’re very crafty. The bombings in Sri Lanka suggest they have people who know how to fly.”
J.J. Green further said, “The LTTE has a long history of successful suicide attacks dating back to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1991. A part of the reason why they’ve been perceived as innovative is that a woman was actually the person who killed Gandhi and 18 other people, well before female suicide bombers were considered by others. They’ve also been able to pull off very successful suicide attacks at sea. That along with this latest endeavour to get a hold of light air planes and drop bombs on a Sri Lankan military base indicates they are able to pull a lot of strings and have deep pockets.”

Street price of cocaine to increase

Following the principle of supply and demand and its effect on prices, the street price of cocaine should rise, since the U.S. Coast Guard and Navy have grabbed 15 tons of it, as set out here:

Military personnel from the Coast Guard and Navy handed over 30,000 pounds of cocaine with an import value of approximately $400 million to federal agents today at 12 p.m.

The cocaine was offloaded from the USS McInerney (FFG-8) after it was seized in two separate busts in the Eastern Pacific Ocean Feb. 4 and March 1.

The first bust occurred Feb. 4 by the Coast Guard Cutter Hamilton from a go-fast traveling in the Eastern Pacific. The go-fast was stopped by the Jacksonville-based Coast Guard Helicopter Interdiction Tactical Squadron. HITRON's precision gunner shot the engines of the fleeing go-fast until they would no longer run. A law enforcement crew from the Hamilton seized 41 bales of cocaine from the boat and detained five suspected smugglers.

The second bust occurred March 1 when a Coast Guard law enforcement detachment from Tactical Law Enforcement Team South from Miami aboard the McInerney boarded the merchant vessel Ocean Song. The Coast Guard law enforcement team found 457 bales of cocaine in the ship's cargo hold. The Miami based law enforcement team took nine suspected smugglers into custody.

Absolute proof of Global Warming

Absolute proof of Global Warming found right here.
Of course, it happened before man's input:

The Torres Strait itself was formerly a land bridge which connected the present-day Australian continent with New Guinea (in a single landmass called Sahul or Australia-New Guinea). This land bridge was most recently submerged by rising sea levels at the termination of the last ice age glaciation (approximately 12,000 years ago), forming the Strait which now connects the Arafura and Coral seas. Many of the western Torres Strait Islands are actually the remaining peaks of this land bridge which were not submerged when the ocean levels rose.

I guess more proof is from the lack of a glacier sitting outside my window.

More on Ice Ages here. And here:

During the present ice age, glaciers have advanced and retreated over 20 times, often blanketing North America with ice. Our climate today is actually a warm interval between these many periods of glaciation. The most recent period of glaciation, which many people think of as the "Ice Age", was at its height approximately 20,000 years ago.

Although the exact causes for ice ages, and the glacial cycles within them, have not been proven, they are most likely the result of a complicated dynamic interaction between such things as solar output, distance of the Earth from the sun, position and height of the continents, ocean circulation, and the composition of the atmosphere.

Oh, yeah, and there is also evidence of prior "Global Warming":

Between 52 and 57 million years ago, the Earth was relatively warm. Tropical conditions actually extended all the way into the mid-latitudes (around northern Spain or the central United States for example), polar regions experienced temperate climates, and the difference in temperature between the equator and pole was much smaller than it is today. Indeed it was so warm that trees grew in both the Arctic and Antarctic, and alligators lived in Ellesmere Island at 78 degrees North.

UPDATE: Another thing affecting life on our planet:

The seismic jolt that unleashed the deadly Solomons tsunami this week lifted an entire island metres out of the sea, destroying some of the world's most pristine coral reefs.

In an instant, the grinding of the Earth's tectonic plates in the 8.0 magnitude earthquake Monday forced the island of Ranongga up three metres (10 foot).

Submerged reefs that once attracted scuba divers from around the globe lie exposed and dying after the quake raised the mountainous landmass, which is 32-kilometres (20-miles) long and 8-kilometres (5-miles) wide.

Corals that used to form an underwater wonderland of iridescent blues, greens and reds now bleach under the sun, transforming into a barren moonscape surrounding the island.

The stench of rotting fish and other marine life stranded on the reefs when the seas receded is overwhelming and the once vibrant coral is dry and crunches underfoot.

Somali pirates free 2 hijacked ships

Reported here:

Somali pirates have freed two merchant ships they had hijacked off the coast of the country, a maritime official said Saturday.

"All the crew are safe aboard both vessels,'' said Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program.

The ships, the MV Rozen _ a cargo ship that had been delivering U.N. food aid to northeastern Somalia _ and the MV Nimatullah, are now sailing out of Somali waters, he said. Both vessels were released late Friday. Mwangura said a ransom had been paid but he did not have details.

The MV Rozen and its 12 crew members _ six from Sri Lanka and six from Kenya _ were hijacked on Feb 25. The Indian-flagged MV Nimatullah, which was carrying more than 800 tons (725 metric tons) of cargo, including cooking oil, secondhand clothing and rice, and its 14 crew were seized last Monday.

The U.N. food agency, which chartered the MV Rozen, welcomed the release of the ship. "The threat of piracy is, however, very much alive and we urge the Somali Transitional Federal Government and the Puntland authorities to curb this menace,'' said the WFP country director for Somalia, Peter Goossens.

More on the French takedown of the LTTE

Interesting coverage of the Tamil Tiger situation in France here and in other posts on the blog. You know, in case you might want to know more about a major terrorist organization.

More on how funds for the LTTE are strong-armed from Tamil's living abroad here:

The charges include extortion of money from the Tamil diaspora in France to finance the LTTE’s terrorist activities in Sri Lanka.

The investigation had been carried out with bilateral co-operation at operational level with relevant departments in USA, Canada, Australia, Switzerland, Italy, UK, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
***
The LTTE had deployed ‘collectors’ under the supervision of local leaders. Whose only activity is to extort money and who were allowed 20 per cent of the sums collected as their ‘salary’.
***
The arrested Tiger activists are charged with running for several years a vast operation of financial extortion among the Tamil diaspora in France.

During 2006, the LTTE has collected more than six million euros where each Tamil family was forced to pay 2000 euros per year and shopkeepers were made to pay 6000 euros.

The investigation highlights the terror prevalent among the Tamil diaspora due to the LTTE’s harsh methods, and how it exerts violence on families of the diaspora back in Sri Lanka for nonpayment of contributions abroad, often amounting to assassination or confiscation of possessions and properties.

The transfer of the funds collected in France are sometimes physically carried in cash by ‘suitcase carriers’ usually to Switzerland to avoid bank records.

Another tale of the U.S. bust of arms trafficking for the Tigers here.

Conflicting claims of victory in a Naval skirmish between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Navy here:

Sri Lankan naval gunships battled LTTE boats off the island's northwest coast on Friday, the military and rebels said, both sides claiming to have destroyed enemy craft.

The sea battle comes amid a flurry of violence in recent weeks that has killed hundreds as the military tries to capture rebel bases in the east. The Tamil Tigers have hit back with bomb attacks and a daring air raid on an air force base outside the capital, Colombo.

A human rights watchdog said on Friday that international monitors were urgently needed in Sri Lanka to protect civilians, often deliberately targeted by both sides of the conflict.

The military said its patrol craft spotted five rebel boats, believed to be on a suicide mission, off Kalpitiya, 140 kilomtres northwest of Colombo.

They intercepted them and opened fire hitting one boat, which exploded, said navy spokesman Cmdr. D.K.P. Dassanayake.

At least two rebels were on board when it sank, Dassanayake said, adding one navy sailor was wounded by the explosion.

However, the rebels said their forces sank a Sri Lankan ship, killing seven sailors before returning to base without a loss.

``There was a 15-minute battle and one Sri Lankan patrol craft sank and three fled taking aboard the dead and the wounded,'' said rebel spokesman Rasiah Ilanthirayan from Kilinochchi, the Tamil Tiger's de-facto capital in the north.

``All our craft returned to base safe,'' he said.

One of the features of this conflict is the PR machines fielded by both sides.

Maritime Security: Big Brother is Millimeter Waving You - for your own protection

Reported as New York to Conduct Explosives Detection Test:

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), in partnership with the New York City Department of Transportation (NYC DOT), will begin testing advanced explosives detection technology today as part of the agency's Security Enhancement and Capabilities Augmentation Program (SEACAP). During the three-week pilot program, TSA will conduct explosives screening on passengers boarding the Staten Island Ferry at the St. George Terminal in Staten Island using passive millimeter wave screening equipment. The purpose of the project is to test the performance of new technologies to detect explosives while maintaining efficient passenger operations for high volume commuter ferries.

Handheld imager from here.

Tamil Tiger air wing a nuclear threat?

As reported in LTTE acquires air capability to target Indian nuclear reactors:

The LTTE has acquired the capability from air to target nuclear reactors in South India.
For the first time, the government of Sri Lanka has told Times Now and Indian officials that LTTE's air force is not as toothless as it was thought to be.
In fact, the Indian government has been told that it should not underestimate the nature of the threat posed by the LTTE's rudimentary air force. But the Indian government still believes that it can easily rebuff such a threat.
However, the Indian defense establishment is leaving nothing to chance as the country's top strategic nuclear facilities are concentrated in parts of southern India.
The Czech-made Zlin aircraft that the LTTE uses has a range of over 1,000 kilometres.

Map of West Asian nuclear power plants from here.

The rise and fall of navies

Naval power and its rise and fall gets an interesting look here:

So let us come forward to today's complex, fragmented and hard-to-understand world. There is occurring, most interestingly - and not covered (so far as I can see) by any of the world's main media outlets - another remarkable global disjuncture at work. And it involves, as it did six centuries ago, massive differences in the assumptions of European nations and Asian nations about the significance of sea power, today and into the future.

Somali pirate threat leads to ship recall

As set out here, ship owners see no reason to risk their investment in the chaotic situation in the waters near Somalia:

Ship operators in the UAE engaged in shipping cargo to Somalia has called on their fleet of ships to sail to neutral waters and return to their ports of origin after pirates reportedly hijacked two UAE ships, this month.
At least two UAE ships have reportedly been attacked and taken captive by gunmen in the Somalian waters since Sunday evening, according to a maritime monitoring body.
This decision by ship operators in the UAE has come after UAE-registered cargo vessels MV Nishan and MV Nimatullah were hijacked near the Somalian port of Mogadishu.
***
Ajay Bhatia, a prominent Dubai-based shipping operator, has instructed his Mogadishu-bound cargo vessels to return to Ajman port in the UAE.
Bhatia owns the MV Veesham 1, the cargo vessel hijacked by a small band of Somali pirates in October last year. Bhatia expressed apprehension over the spate of reported hijacking incidents in the last few days.
“Business in Somalia has been affected again. The situation is very bad,” he said, calling for international attention to the poor maritime security in the African region. Two of Bhatia’s ships are expected to return to the UAE in a few days.
Another Dubai-based shipoperator, Abdi Hassan of Mogadishu Shipping, said recalling his Somalia-bound ships will result in marginal losses to company. “But it is better to be safe than sorry,” he said.
About 90 per cent of merchant vessels entering Somali an waters are from the UAE, according to Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Programme.

The British hostages and Complacency

From the Royal Navy, very interesting complaints rising to the surface in Navy accused of failures and complacency:

It has been suggested that commanders became complacent without any serious incidents during the 66 searches in three weeks before the Cornwall's final search.

But with the American capture of five Iranians allegedly helping the insurgency in Iraq a few weeks earlier, the Navy operating in the Gulf should have been "significantly more wary" of Iran, a Navy source said.

Officers have also complained that they were never passed intelligence on what the possible Iranian navy plans were.

"This was either because it was deemed that we did not have enough security clearance or that they simply did not have the any intelligence in the first place," a Navy source said.

There was criticism, too, that the Cornwall's boats were sent close to the Iranian border without enough firepower or support. American boarding parties usually have four patrol boats with at least two standing off to provide covering fire.

Hat tip to NOSI.

UPDATE: More here:

Ayers said many questions must be answered in the expected public inquiries into the fiasco. The most important, he said, is why the lightly armed sailors were allowed to operate in disputed waters near the border between Iran and Iraq without protective sea or air cover.

He questioned why a British helicopter that was hovering over the sailors when they began an inspection of a ship suspected of car smuggling left before the operation ended, leaving the 14 men and one woman vulnerable to attack.

In addition, he said, the HMS Cornwall, the mother ship for the patrol boat, could not get close enough to the area to keep the sailors in sight because the water was too shallow, but the commanding officer had other rapid patrol boats he could have deployed to the scene to make the operation more secure.

Finally, Ayers suggested that Britain's rules of engagement may have been too weak. "If the rules of engagement you're operating under allow you to be captured without a fight, maybe they need to be changed."

Hey! Who knew about "Bloggers' Roundtable" at the DoD Fefend America site?

Did you know that various people in Iraq and other locations involved in the -uh- GWOT are getting interviewed by bloggers?

What, am I the last one to find out? If not, go here and select a discussion to listen in on.

Maybe I need a cluebat from John.

The Navy's new Maritime Civil Affairs Group

Reported here:

The Navy Expeditionary Combat Command (NECC) officially established its newest command, Military Civil Affairs Group (MCAG) during a ceremony at Naval Amphibious Base (NAB) Little Creek, March 30.

MCAG's mission is to assess, plan and execute civil affairs (CA) activities in the maritime operational environment.

"Our areas of expertise include traditional CA functional areas such as public education and public health, but we are focused on three maritime specific functions: commercial port operations, harbor and channel construction and maintenance, and marine and fisheries resources," said Capt. Ken Schwingshakl, commanding officer for MCAG.

MCAG forces will also serve as first responders for disaster relief operations throughout the world.

"A robust communication suite will be used to establish a Civil Military Operations Cell to coordinate efforts of U.S. government response, host nation forces, and non-government organizations," said Schwingshakl. "This is so recovery efforts aren't duplicated and the situation can be brought under control as soon as possible."

Machinistís Mate 2nd Class (SW) Claude Artis, a recent graduate of CA Journal Course, expressed what MCAG's mission will be on a daily basis.

"We will go into other countries, assess the area, look at infrastructure, schools and medical facilities, and report to higher ranking officials with what they actually need," said Artis. "They will then allow us a certain amount of funds to basically go back and help the people rebuild."

MCAG's command currently consists of 40 Sailors, but will increase to 320 by September. The command is headquatered at NAB Little Creek, Va., and will consist of two coastal squadrons, one at Imperial Beach in California and the other at Cheatham Annex in Wiliamsburg, Va.

Somali pirates demand ransom

THe Somali pirates apparently work cheap, as they only want 20,000 dollars ransom for their most recent capture:

Somali pirates who hijacked an Indian-flagged cargo ship as it was preparing to dock at Mogadishu port early this week are demanding a ransom of 20,000 U.S. dollars before releasing the freighter.

Kenya's maritime official said on Thursday the pirates reduced the ransom from 40,000 dollars earlier demanded for the release of MV Nimatullah, which was seized with 14-member crew while delivering 900 tons of cargo off the Somali coast.

"The vessel has been brought to coast off Haradheere, the well- known pirates' nest in central Somalia,"Andrew Mwangura, head of the Kenyan chapter of the Seafarers Assistance Program (SAP) said in a statement.
***
WFP (World Food Programme) and SAP are very concerned with this second hijacking of a vessel in Somali waters within six weeks, as vessel owners will become very reluctant to transport goods to Somali ports because of that,"said Mwangura.

"This will endanger the lifeline of food aid by ocean transport, as WFP plans to transport urgently needed food aid for some 850,000 vulnerable population especially the displaced and women and children, in impoverished and war-torn Somalia,"he said.

"Any disruption in this lifeline will cause immediately hunger among this target group. We appeal for the immediate safe return of the 12 crew members of the MV Rozen and the 14 crew of the MV Nimatullah."

Iran's seizing Brits? Just a GPS error?

According to this piece of bilge: Don’t Forget the Astrolabe - New York Times:

After all, Global Positioning System receivers aboard the inflatable British patrol boats and the merchant vessel they were investigating clearly showed that they were in Iraqi, not Iranian, territorial waters. Surely, once Iran was made aware of the mix-up the situation could be cleared up and the prisoners would be returned. After all, military-grade G.P.S. does not lie.

But nothing involving global positioning technology is quite so simple. First, Iranian officials produced map coordinates that placed the sailors in Iraqi waters, though not where the British government had located them. Then, when it was pointed out to the Iranians that this didn’t constitute an offense, they produced a second, more damning set of coordinates. Not that it mattered. Regardless of how dubious the maps were, Iran still holds the prisoners. Regardless of how accurate the G.P.S. reading was, it was not, in itself, a resolution.

G.P.S. has become a remarkable tool, solving problems for farmers, prison wardens, broadcasters and concerned parents, not to mention drivers, pilots and ship captains. But, as this incident serves to remind us, it is not a panacea: relying too heavily on it can be dangerous. G.P.S. — the ability to know exactly where you are — has the potential to provide a false sense of security...
***
An old sailor’s rule of thumb warns against depending on a sole means of navigation; just because you have G.P.S. does not mean you should leave your compass and sextant on dry land. Failure, whether due to an electrical problems or a drained battery or old fashioned human error, can be devastating. The real lesson here is that, by itself, accurate G.P.S. will not save you from rough seas — or an international diplomatic crisis.

Let's see - using an extremely accurate navigational system (with several backups) makes it your fault when hostile forces invade another country's territorial waters and captures innocent sailors?

Further, I'm a little fuzzy on how celestial navigation (the purpose of the sextant, after all) would be of much use during a broad daylight attack. Going to shoot some sunlines and plot them on your chart's DR course? Sorry, GPS is very much more accurate than that...

Do a little radar or visual bearing plotting? Take some soundings? All have their own problems.

And, further, Mr. Rothman, I seriously doubt there was anything wrong with the ship's compasses, whether gyroscopic or magnetic. Or, for that matter, with the GPS system on the ship or in the helicopter hovering above the sailors, or in the sailor's handheld GPS...

GPS accuracy?

When taken together, autonomous civilian GPS horizontal position fixes are typically accurate to about 15 meters (50 ft). These effects also reduce the more precise P(Y) code's accuracy.

Sources of errors Source Effect

Ionospheric effects	± 5 meter
Ephemeris errors	± 2.5 meter
Satellite clock errors	± 2 meter
Multipath distortion	± 1 meter
Tropospheric effects	± 0.5 meter
Numerical errors	± 1 meter or less

I spent a couple of years professionally navigating ships before GPS came online. I can assure you that if ever I was accurate to within the civilian GPS possible error of 50 feet (about 1/8 the length of the ship I was on) I was the best danged pre-GPS navigator ever. You know, unless I was tied to pier or something...in which case my navigation was perfect.

Get a grip. The Iranians were the bad actors in this little power play.

U.S. Navy Photo:

USS Alaska (CB-1)- Chief Quartermaster John P. Overholt taking a sun sighting with a sextant from the ship's navigating bridge. Taken circa 6 March 1945, during the Iwo Jima operation. Taking notes on the observations is Quartermaster Third Class Clark R. Bartholomew.

UPDATE: Reader "Worker" sends along a link about the glitches caused to GPS by solar flare ups and advises to "keep that sextant handy..."

Really? Estimates on Navy ships unrealistic, SecNav

Reported as ARTICLE: Estimates on Navy ships unrealistic, official says. That "official" is the Secretary of the Navy and he says:

The service has ceded too much control over the acquisition process to industry, he complained, and must recruit a new corps of internal watchdogs to spot weaknesses in ship designs and flaws in production.

"Finding and developing the people we need is easier said than done... but we cannot ignore the leverage that can be obtained by putting the right, experienced and prepared people in the right positions," Winter said.

The industry, while underestimating ship costs, is under investing in new facilities and equipment that could help it produce ships more efficiently in the long run, he complained.

"It really hurts me, I have to tell you, to go outside the United States to foreign yards and foreign navies and see technology... in the production of their ships that exceeds that in U.S. yards," the secretary told reporters after the speech.

"That's wrong. It should not be."

Amen, Mr. Secretary, amen.

UPDATE: CDR Salamander's on it, too.

Special Warfare Boat Operators add to tool kit

As reported here:

Special Warfare Boat Operators (SB) from Special Boat Team 20 (SBT-20) reached a milestone on March 28 when they successfully completed the 100th and 101st insertion of the Maritime Craft Aerial Deployment System (MCADS) off the coast of North Carolina. Serving as a true force multiplier, the MCADS capability enables Naval Special Warfare Sailors to rapidly deploy anywhere in the world in a maritime environment. The system deploys an 11-meter RIB (rigid inflatable boat) rigged with four large parachutes from the back of a C-130 or C-17 at approximately 3,500-feet.

Approximately four Special Warfare Combatant-craft Crewmen (SWCC) immediately follow the boat out of the plane and parachute to the immediate proximity of where the boat lands. Within 20 minutes the SWCCs have the boat unpacked and rigged to get underway to deliver an element of SOF (special operation force) operators to any potential target of interest, or to conduct their own mission. SBT-20 Command Master Chief Richard Evans pointed out that this capability didn’t just miraculously evolve.

“This capability is a direct result of countless hours of hard work and commitment from several Sailors in the command’s Air Operations department over the past decade," Evans said. "In particular, the Air Department head, (Chief Parachute Rigger) Steve Perry, the MCADS Program Manager for SBT-20, Shane Hollar, and all the members of the Air Department, have been the backbone for the success of the program for the past several years.”

Latest ICC CCS Piracy Report (to 3 April 07) and ONI Worldwide Threat to Shipping Report (to 28 Mar 07)

Latest ICC Commercial Crime Services Piracy Report found here, with action in Nigeria and in the Malacca Strait:

-01.04.2007: early hours: Nigeria.
An expatriate worker was abducted by pirates and taken ashore from a platform rig. The pirates boarded the rig via the support vessel which was secured alongside the rig at the time of the incident. The owners are in contact with the Nigerian authorities to get the worker released.

- 31.03.2007 0100 LT in position 06:14.4N - 003:14.4E, 12 nm off SW of Lagos, Nigeria.
Robbers armed with knives boarded a product tanker at anchor at forecastle Using grappling hooks. They successfully cut mooring ropes and threw them
overboard into waiting boat. Watchmen informed D/O who raised alarm and alerted crew members. Robbers jumped overboard and escaped when crew members went forward to apprehend them. The vessel weighed anchor and drifted 35 nm off port limit.

- 28.03.2007 0707 UTC in position 04:40.0N - 099:15.5E, Malacca Straits. Four pirates in a 15 metres length grey hull wooden speed boat was observed drifting across the vessel’s courseline. The boat suddenly approached a bulk carrier underway. Master raised alarm, took evasive manoeuvres, crew mustered and activated fire hoses. Pirates attempted to board the ship with ropes and long stick with steps. After 20 mins the pirates moved away.

- 29.03.2007 0200 LT in position : 03:14N - 112:58E at Bintulu general cargo anchorage, Malaysia.
Five robbers armed with knives boarded a general cargo ship. 2/O spotted them and raised alarm and crew alerted. Crew proceeded to forecastle. Robbers
threw shackles at crew but no one was injured. The robbers stole ship's stores and escaped in their boat. Port control was informed and a patrol boat arrived 2 hrs later and conducted an investigation.

Latest ONI WWTS report here. Highlights:

I. RED SEA:
.
1. SUDAN: Research vessel fired upon 11 Mar, at 1929 local time while underway
in position 18:29.02N – 038:19.26E, within territorial waters off the southern coast of Sudan. Fifteen men in a 12 m wooden boat armed with AK-47s approached the research ship as it was conducting surveying operations and fired upon the bridge of the ship. The ship activated SSAS, contacted Sudanese authorities, then maneuvered away from the area. No injuries to the crew (IMB).
.
2. SUDAN: Research vessel fired upon 12 Mar at 1305 local time while underway in
position 18:27.4N – 038:17.8E, within territorial waters off the southern coast of Sudan. Men in a wooden boat armed with AK-47s approached the research vessel, which was conductingsurvey operations, and fired upon the ship. A Sudanese Navy vessel responded and detained the suspected perpetrators. After 20 minutes the suspects were released. No injuries to crew. ONI Comment: Research vessels conducting near shore surveys are highly susceptible to opportunistic criminal behavior as well as fishermen aggressively protecting their nets (IMB,
ONI).

2. INDONESIA: Tanker (AI MARU) boarded 14 Mar at 1630 local time while underway in position 01-07.29N 105-03.66E approximately 30NM east of Pulau Bintan. The tanker was approached by two speedboats with ten men. The men were dressed in camouflage and carried shot guns, rifles and daggers. One of them had on a ski mask. They boarded the tanker and tied up all crew members and blindfolded them. The master of the ship was punched several times with no serious injuries. The gunmen also damaged the ship’s radio communications equipment and took the ship’s documents, crew passports, seaman books, cash, and hand phones before
they fled in their speedboats. All crew were accounted for with no injuries. The master reported that there was not a single shot fired by the men during the incident. The ReCCAP ISC Focal Point (Singapore) advises ship-owners and masters to exercise vigilance while transiting this location (ReCAPP ISC).
.

Somali pirates strike again, seize another ship

Reported here:

An Indian vessel chartered to Somali businessmen was hijacked off Somalia coast overnight, reliable and commercial sources say on Monday.

Sources close to businessmen that chartered the ship say that it was seized by Somali pirates near the coast of Mogadishu main port and then take it into northern coast of Puntland.
Africa 2007

Nimatulah ship was carrying several tones (tonnes) of commercial goods.

Fourteen Indian crewmembers are reportedly to be onboard the hijcship (hijacked ship) which sailed from Dubai, UAE and was due to (in) Mogadishu to offload commercial goods.

France cracks down on Tamil Tiger financing

Reported asSeventeen suspected LTTE members detained in France:

Seventeen suspected LTTE members were detained Sunday in Paris during an investigation into terrorist financing activities, sources close to the case said.

Police made the arrests under the direction of anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguiere, the sources said.
ast year.

Those detained are suspected of having raised six million euros (eight million dollars) in France last year.

Families were required to send 2,000 euros (2,700 dollars) per year to the organisation, and merchants had to pay up to 6,000 euros, sources said. Those who did not pay were threatened or detained, they said.

Those in charge of raising the money were allowed to keep 20 percent as payment, the sources said.

The Tamil community in France includes about 70,000 people.

More here:

In the meantime, many traders, businessmen and shopkeepers were interviewed by many French TV news channels and almost all of them have accepted that they have helped a banned terrorist organization, LTTE by giving them money voluntarily. A few French news commentators have noted that the voluntarily money contributions to terrorists' organization, as a serious seditious crime committed against France and also as an act of aiding and abetting terrorists activities in French soil .

Magistrate Jean-Louis BruguiŠre who investigates against the LTTE terrorists activities in France was recently in Sri Lanka and met Sri Lanka's political leaders and heads intelligence agencies.

According to the "Asian Tribune" reports, Magistrate Jean-Louis BruguiŠre ordered the SDAT agents to launch the crack down on the LTTE's terrorists' activities.

Quoting legal sources the "Asian Tribune" stated that if in case France Government decided to file actions against all those who are arrested, each of them may receive a minimum 15 years rigorous imprisonment.

There were allegations that Tigers in France were involved in the murder of Sabalingham, an EPRLF member and one of the founder members of the students organization in Jaffna in the 70s along witth Saththyaseelan and others.

Also it was suspected that LTTE was involved in the killing of Kandiah Perinpanathan formerly the LTTE's tereasurer and Kajan of the Eelamurasu. It was suspected that these two were killed in Paris because of difference of opinion within the outfit.

Those darned unintended consequences

Some unintended consquences catch up with the environmental crowd. As set out here:

Long a primary ingredient in food and cosmetics, palm oil derivatives caught on about five years ago as a source of renewable energy, spurred by subsidies in many European Union countries. Imports have risen 65 percent since 2002.

Palm oil is attractive because it is relatively abundant, cheap at about $550 per ton, and requires few or no modifications to existing power stations.

Unlike carbon-rich fossil fuels, palm oil is considered carbon-neutral, meaning the carbon emitted from burning it is the same as what is absorbed during growth.

But the result of intensified farming has been to unleash far more greenhouse gases than will be saved at power stations.

Interesting two parrt series: Combat against Religionist Terrorism in Turkey

Part one from The Journal of Turkish Weekly here.

Turkey is one the most experienced country in the world in combating religionist terrorism since it has always been one of the targets of the religionist terrorist organization including Hezbollah, Ibda-C and Al Qaeda. 99 % of Turkish population is Muslim and the relatively poor economic circumstances in certain regions of the country, rapid social, political and economic transformation to catch up the EU level and other reasons provide a suitable environment for terrorist and extremist organizations in Turkey. Another crucial reason which lures the terrorists to Turkish territories is Turkey’s location: The most volatile regions, like the Middle East, Balkans and the Caucasus surround Turkey. Iran, Syria and Iraq, all are Turkey’s neighbors and Turkey has thousands of kilometers difficult borders with these countries. Al Qaeda is very active in Syria and Iraq. Iran and Iraq on the other hand both are capitals of the Shiite extremism.

Part 2 here, which includes several

* LESSONS FOR THE US’ FIGHT AGAINST GLOBAL TERRORISM

- First the US naming the religionist terrorists ‘Islamic’, ‘Islamist’ or ‘Jihadist’, includes many innocent Muslims into the terrorists networks. ‘Islamic’ for example means ‘something according to Islam’. If you name Al Qaeda ‘Islamic’, you lose the vital public support against terrorism. The US has to separate very well the terrorists and the ordinary Muslims...

and several more.

Maritime Monday 53 at Fred Fry International

Some things you "otter" see at Fred Fry International: Maritime Monday 53.

And also visit Fred's post on Iran's Other Hostages, too.

Ukranian ship to do NATO exercise

First time . As set out here:

Final preparations are underway for the deployment of the first Ukrainian ship to the Mediterranean in support of Operation Active Endeavour, NATO`s maritime counter-terrorist operation. The URS Ternopil, a corvette, is expected to be deployed in May, according to NATO web site.

NATO website here.

More on the Armed Forces of the Ukraine here.

Sunday Ship History: USS Liberty (AGTR-5)

It began as a Victory ship, more or less an "improved" version of the Liberty ships:

They were an enhancement of the previous Liberty ship design that were produced in much greater numbers, in particular they had a higher speed of 15 to 17 knots (28 to 31 km/h) compared to 11 knots (20 km/h) and longer range. The higher speed was particularly important because it made them less easy prey to U-boats, and was achieved by using improved engines over the Liberty's triple expansion reciprocating steam engine — Lenz type reciprocating steam engines, steam turbines or diesel engines with a power output between 6000 and 8500 horsepower (4.5 and 6 MW). It also had electrically powered auxiliary equipment rather than steam powered. They were oil fired, although some Canadian vessels were completed with both bunkers and oil tanks so that they could use coal or oil.

They were also strengthened hulls compared to Liberty ships since a few of the latter had suffered fractured hulls. To improve the hull flexibility (to reduce stresses), the frames were 36 inches (914 mm) apart as opposed to 30 inches (762 mm). Victory ships were slightly larger than Liberty ships, at 455 feet (139 m) long and 62 feet (19 m) wide with 25 feet (7.6 m) draft. With a fine raked bow and a 'cruiser' stern, to help achieve the higher speed, they had a quite different appearance to Liberty ships.

After successful service in WWII, many of these ships found other work. Some were laid up in the reserve fleet and called on later:

In the 1960s two Victory ships were reactivated and converted to technical research ships by the U.S. Navy with the hull type AGTR. SS Iran Victory became the USS Belmont (AGTR-4) and SS Simmons Victory became the USS Liberty (AGTR-5). The Liberty was attacked and severely damaged by Israeli forces in June 1967 and subsequently decommissioned and stricken from the Naval Register. The Belmont was decommissioned and stricken in 1970.

This year will mark the 40th anniversary of the attack on USS Liberty (AGTR-5). Official history:

USS Liberty, a 7725-ton Belmont class technical research ship, was built in 1945 as the civilian cargo ship Simmons Victory. She operated in commercial trade until 1958, when she was laid up in the National Defense Reserve Fleet. Simmons Victory was acquired by the Navy in February 1963 for conversion. Renamed Liberty and classified AG-168 in June 1963, she was reclassified AGTR-5 in April 1964 and commissioned in December 1964. In February 1965, she steamed from the west coast to Norfolk, Virginia, where she was further outfitted to suit her for a mission of collecting and processing foreign communications and other electronic emissions of possible National defense interest.

In June 1965, Liberty began her first deployment, to waters off the west coast of Africa. She carried out several more operations during the next two years, and went to the Mediterranean in 1967. During the "Six-Day War" between Israel and several Arab nations, she was sent to collect electronic intelligence in the eastern Mediterranean. On the afternoon of 8 June 1967, while in international waters off the Sinai Peninsula, Liberty, though clearly marked as a U.S. Navy ship, was struck by Israeli aircraft. After suffering damage and many personnel casualties from gunfire, rockets and bombs, she was further attacked by three Israeli Navy motor torpedo boats. One torpedo hit her on the starboard side, forward of the superstructure, opening a large hole in her hull. In all, thirty-four men were killed in the attacks and nearly 170 wounded. Israel subsequently apologized for the incident, explaining that its air and naval forces had mistaken the Liberty for a much smaller Egyptian Navy ship.

Though severely damaged, Liberty's crew kept her afloat, and she was able to leave the area under her own power. She was escorted to Malta by units of the U.S. Sixth Fleet and was there given interim repairs. After these were completed in July 1967, Liberty returned to the United States. She was decommissioned in June 1968 and stricken from the Naval Vessel Register two years later. USS Liberty was sold for scrapping in December 1970.

But that barely tells the tale. This gives a better idea:

The President of the United States
in the name of The Congress
takes pleasure in presenting the
Medal of Honor
to

McGONAGLE, WILLIAM L.

Rank and organization: Captain (then Comdr.) U.S. Navy, U.S.S. Liberty (AGTR-5). Place and date: International waters, Eastern Mediterranean, 8-9 June 1967. Entered service at: Thermal, Calif. Born: 19 November 1925, Wichita, Kans.
Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Sailing in international waters, the Liberty was attacked without warning by jet fighter aircraft and motor torpedo boats which inflicted many casualties among the crew and caused extreme damage to the ship. Although severely wounded during the first air attack, Capt. McGonagle remained at his battle station on the badly damaged bridge and, with full knowledge of the seriousness of his wounds, subordinated his own welfare to the safety and survival of his command. Steadfastly refusing any treatment which would take him away from his post, he calmly continued to exercise firm command of his ship. Despite continuous exposure to fire, he maneuvered his ship, directed its defense, supervised the control of flooding and fire, and saw to the care of the casualties. Capt. McGonagle's extraordinary valor under these conditions inspired the surviving members of the Liberty's crew, many of them seriously wounded, to heroic efforts to overcome the battle damage and keep the ship afloat. Subsequent to the attack, although in great pain and weak from the loss of blood, Captain McGonagle remained at his battle station and continued to command his ship for more than 17 hours. It was only after rendezvous with a U.S. destroyer that he relinquished personal control of the Liberty and permitted himself to be removed from the bridge. Even then, he refused much needed medical attention until convinced that the seriously wounded among his crew had been treated. Capt. McGonagle's superb professionalism, courageous fighting spirit, and valiant leadership saved his ship and many lives. His actions sustain and enhance the finest traditions of the U.S. Naval Service.

Various members of the crew have a website that sets out the "true" story of the attack and provides a list of the 34 U.S. sailors who were killed in the attack as does Arlington Cemetary:

William B. Allenbaugh
Philip McC. Armstrong, Jr.*
Gary R. Blanchard
Allen M. Blue*
Francis Brown
Ronnie J. Campbell*
Jerry L. Converse
Robert B. Eisenberg
Jerry L. Goss*
Curtis A. Graves*
Lawrence P. Hayden*
Warren E. Hersey
Alan Higgins*
Carl L. Hoar
Richard W. Keene, Jr.
James L. Lenau
Raymond E. Linn*
James M. Lupton*
Duane R. Marggraf
David W. Marlborough*
Anthony P. Mendle
Carl C. Nygren*
James C. Pierce*
Jack L. Raper*
Edward E. Rehmeyer, III
David Skolak
John C. Smith, Jr.
Melvin D. Smith
John C. Spicher*
Alexander N. Thompson, Jr.
Thomas R. Thornton
Philippe C. Tiedtke
Stephen S. Toth
Frederick J. Walton

Of these, LCDR Armstrong received the Navy Cross for heroism:

Lieutenant Commander Armstrong was on the bridge when the first strafing attack occurred. A large fire erupted in the vicinity of two 55 gallon gasoline drums stored near the bridge and there was a grave danger that the drums might explode and cause a wide-spread uncontrollable conflagration. Without hesitation and with complete disregard for his own personal safety, he fearlessly exposed himself to overwhelmingly accurate rocket and machine gun fire while proceeding to jettison the gasoline drums and organize a party of men to extinguish the blazing lifeboats. At this time he received multiple injuries which proved to be fatal . . . . "

National Security Agency Liberty website here - I recommend the last item- U.S.Cryptologic History Report, "Attack on a SIGINT Collector, the U.S.S. Liberty", dated 1981 (originally released in 1999)(pdf), especially pdf Chapter 4, pages 33-44 (numbered pages 25-36).

Sites alleging Liberty coverup here, here and here.

BBC show on Liberty: See also this.

The Anti-Defamation League USS Liberty site to counter the conspiracy theories.

However it came about, the attack was met by the Liberty crew in the finest traditions of the U.S. Navy.

UPDATE: As noted in the NSA report, the Israelis asserted that there was some confusion concerning the identity of the ship they were attacking. The report contains (at pdf pages 48 & 49, numbered pages 40 & 41) the following Which can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them) :



UPDATE2: An interesting source.