NAIROBI, Kenya, Sept. 9 (UPI) -- U.S. Marines raided a hijacked vessel in the Gulf of Aden early Thursday, retaking it from Somali pirates, the military announced.
The cutting-out expedition on the Magellan Star, a German-owned vessel loaded with steel chain, involved 24 Marines in two inflatable boats and equipped with portable ladders, The New York Times reported. Two helicopters provided illumination for the rescue crew.
The raid was the first one in which the U.S. military retook a captured vessel off Somalia. The Magellan Star was seized Wednesday.
Cmdr. Amy Derrick-Frost, a Navy spokeswoman, said the Magellan Star crew was in communication with the Marines, giving them information on the location of the nine pirates. The Marines were able to retake the ship without using weapons.
"There was an amazing amount of teamwork between the Navy and the Marines and several ships in the task force, including the Turkish frigate, which was running the show," Lt. John Fage, a Navy spokesman, said.
