By Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/5th Fleet Public Affairs
GULF OF ADEN – USS Russell (DDG 59) responded to a vessel in distress between Bossasso, Somalia and the Yemeni coast in the Gulf of Aden June 8.
A Combined Task Force 150 air asset notified Russell of the small boat's distress call. Russell, operating nearby, proceeded at maximum speed and arrived on-scene to assist the vessel.
The 45-foot small boat experienced serious engine problems leaving it unable to operate at sea and had been adrift for two days.
There were approximately 70 personnel on board the vessel, some of whom were in need of immediate medical attention. Seven personnel were transferred to Russell and treated for severe dehydration and malnutrition. The vessel was also re-provisioned for the night and Russell is towing it towards Somalia where the small boat and patients will be turned over to Somali authorities.
Coalition forces have a longstanding tradition of helping mariners in distress by providing medical assistance, engineering assistance as well as search and rescue.
Russell, deployed as part of the USS Abraham Lincoln Strike Group, is operating as part of CTF 150. CTF150 conducts Maritime Security Operations between the Gulf of Aden and the Gulf of Oman in the Arabian Sea. MSO help develop security in the maritime environment. From security arises stability that results in global economic prosperity. MSO complements the counterterrorism and security efforts of regional nations and seek to disrupt violent extremists' use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.