Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden

Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
Part of Piracy in Somalia, Operation Ocean Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa
A chemical tanker with South Korean naval personnel in full combat gear onboard; the tanker shows signs of a fight with broken glass and holes in the windows.
South Korean commandos raid the chemical tanker, MV Samho Jewelry, during Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden.
Date18–21 January 2011[1]
Location
Arabian Sea, near the Gulf of Aden
14°30′N 56°30′E / 14.5°N 56.5°E / 14.5; 56.5
Result

South Korean victory

  • All 21 hostages safely rescued
Belligerents
 Republic of Korea Navy
Supported by:
 Royal Navy of Oman
 United States Navy		 Somali pirates
Commanders and leaders
 Republic of Korea Navy Captain Cho Young-joo Abdi Risqe Shakh †
Suti Ali Harut †
Strength
1 destroyer
1 helicopter
30 ROKNSWF		 1 chemical tanker
17~20 pirates
Casualties and losses
January 18:
3 wounded
January 21:
none		 January 18:
4+ killed or missing
January 21:
8 killed
5 captured
1 civilian wounded
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden is located in Middle East
Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden
class=notpageimage|
Approximate location of rescue operation[2]

Operation Dawn of Gulf of Aden[3] (Korean: 아덴만 여명 작전) was a naval operation by the Republic of Korea Navy against Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. The operation was spurred by the pirates' seizure of the South Korean chemical tanker Samho Jewelry. In response, the South Korean government sent a destroyer and 30 naval commandos to retake the ship and rescue its crew.[4] After trailing the tanker for several days and fighting a preliminary engagement that neutralized four of the pirates, the South Korean forces retook the ship by force on January 21, 2011, in a successful boarding action that resulted in the deaths of eight and the capture of five out of thirteen pirates.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference JoongAng-20110122 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ "South Korean commandos storm hijacked freighter". CTV Television Network. January 21, 2011. Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference CNN-20110121 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference BBC-20110121 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).