"Canadian warship based at Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt thwarted a pirate attack in the Arabian Sea Saturday and on Sunday came to the rescue of Somali refugees.
HMCS Winnipeg, part of a NATO-led counter-piracy mission known as Operation Allied Protector, saw three small pirate skiffs closing in on an Indian merchant vessel, the Pacific Opal, in the Gulf of Aden.
The warship was escorting another vessel nearby when the Pacific Opal radioed for help.
The Canadian ship's commanding officer, Cmdr. Craig Baines, immediately ordered the ship's Sea King helicopter to investigate. The helicopter flew between the threatened vessel and the pirates to scare them away.
The helicopter crew hung a two-foot-by-three-foot red stop sign from the side of the aircraft that says "Stop" in Somali.
"We hung it right beside (the chopper's) C-6 machine gun and they (got) the idea that we don't like what they're doing," said Baines, in an interview with the Times Colonist from the ship Sunday.
It was enough to make the skiffs pull back, but the helicopter stayed with the vessel until the pirates were no longer a threat.
Pirates are common along the coast of Somalia, threatening commercial vessels travelling through the Horn of Africa, said Baines.
He said the pirates try to overtake a ship and hold it ransom until the owner gives them money.
"There's huge amounts of money at play so they are willing to take large risks to be successful," said Baines.
But pirates are deterred by any military presence because they know the navy can overpower them, said Baines.
"They want nothing to do with us, so as soon as we come on scene, they'll break away and do something else," he said.
The pirates often disguise themselves as fishermen, he said.
They are often toting AK-47s or grenade launchers, but Baines said there was no indication these men had weapons.
Baines said he was surprised to see so much action since the crew just arrived in the Gulf April 2.
"This highlights the importance of our mission and the efforts to make a difference with our coalition partners in the fight against piracy and international terrorism," said Lt.-Gen. Michel Gauthier, commander of Canadian Expeditionary Force Command, in a news release.
A day after warding off the pirates, HMCS Winnipeg brought supplies to a vessel full of hungry and thirsty Somali refugees who had been at sea for two days.
The helicopter crew spotted an overcrowded vessel of 51 people including women, children and a baby, trying to get from Somalia to Yemen.
HMCS Winnipeg, with a crew of about 240 officers and non-commissioned members, has been at sea since Feb. 5 and is expected to return to Esquimalt Aug. 21.
The majority of the crew's families are in the Victoria-area, said Baines, who is originally from Comox, B.C."
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