<< Previous   of   Next >> U.S. Navy photo  (click to enlarge) The guided-missile destroyer USS Shoup tows the Dunia, a disabled dhow, after the boat experienced engine problems, leaving it unable to operate.

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Robert Frank, City Editor frank@heraldnet.com

USS Shoup aids disabled boat near Yemen

By Lt. j.g. Elisabeth Erickson and Lt. j.g. Chris Gutierrez
Special to The Herald from the USS Shoup

The Everett-based destroyer USS Shoup participated in the rescue of a disabled boat Tuesday while deployed with the USS Abraham Lincoln strike group.

During normal operations as part of Combined Task Force 150, the USS Shoup towed the stricken vessel, a traditional Arab dhow, from the Gulf of Aden to Al-Mukalla, Yemen.

The Dunia, a 50-foot-long dhow, had a serious engine problem and was unable to operate. The USNS Kanawha, a replenishment ship that was nearby, responded at first.

The Shoup then sent several members of the ship's boarding team to secure and inspect the dhow for seaworthiness, provide food and water to the crew, and judge whether the vessel could be towed to safety.

According to a dispatch from the aircraft carrier Lincoln, Petty Officer 2nd Class John Parkowski, one of the Shoup's boat crew members, said the Dunia's crew was friendly and grateful for the help.

"They were happy to see us," he said. "It was an eye-opening experience, seeing what they had to go through, with no food, no air conditioning."

Two members of the dhow's crew spoke English and communicated with the boarding team.

In addition, the Shoup's crew helped two members of the dhow's crew who required minor medical attention.

The Shoup towed the dhow and delivered it to the Yemeni Coast Guard, which escorted the dhow into port.

The Shoup's commanding officer, Cmdr. Michael J. Lehman, said the event provided valuable training for his warship's crew and supported the task force's maritime security mission.

"I'm extremely pleased with the team effort demonstrated by Shoup over the past two days in providing assistance to the stranded dhow Dunia," Lehman said. "The shipwide effort was an excellent example of the long-standing tradition of Coalition forces providing assistance to mariners in distress. I'm glad Shoup was in the right place at the right time to help these folks."

Besides the Shoup, Everett's USS Momsen is deployed with the Lincoln. The ships are now assigned to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in the western Pacific.