Fighting pirates is in the Marine Corps’ DNA. These days, the mission is called “visit, board, search, and seizure” (VBSS), and the Corps’ premier VBSS unit is the Maritime Raid Force, typically composed of a force reconnaissance platoon as the assault element, an amphibious recon platoon as the support element, and an infantry platoon as the security element. Augmented by support assets integral to the Amphibious Ready Group–Marine Expeditionary Unit (ARG-MEU), these task-organized forces are deployed to protect maritime commerce across the globe. In 2010, I led the force reconnaissance platoon assigned to the first of these units, under the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable) [MEU(SOC)] deployed to the Indian Ocean with NATO’s Combined Task Force 151.
Our deployment took place at the height of the modern piracy crisis in the Indian Ocean and in the wake of the April 2009 Maersk Alabama incident in which Navy SEALs famously ended a tense stand-off by killing three Somali pirates and rescuing Captain Richard Phillips. Recognizing the continuing threat of piracy to maritime commerce, the United States established a dedicated maritime raid force to embark on a ship specially outfitted to provide an offensive response capability to NATO’s Combined Task Force 151. To accomplish this, the USS Dubuque (LPD-8) was transformed into an assault ship, staffed with sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen uniquely trained in maritime intelligence, logistics, and offensive at-sea operations and equipped with small boats, helicopter gunships, and a highly trained raid unit.
Marine force reconnaissance was assigned the assault element mission, and my platoon, call sign “Blue Collar,” was tapped for counterpiracy missions while our sister platoon readied for deployment to Afghanistan. Despite our amphibious roots, we had cut our teeth in the land wars of Iraq and Afghanistan, so it was hard to imagine hunting pirates in the Indian Ocean. But we trained together for 18 months, with the last year tailored to the counterpiracy mission. We were a strong, steady team that practiced together habitually. Organized under the 15th MEU(SOC), we deployed in the summer of 2010 on board the Dubuque.
USS Dubuque (LPD-8) in the Indian Ocean, Sep 2010. (Author photo)
That summer, the Gulf of Aden swarmed with merchants, pirates—and us. When we arrived on station at the international risk transit corridor to begin patrolling with our CTF 151 counterparts, we sensed we would not have a chance to execute our mission. There were a number of ships that had been captured by pirates floating off the coast of Somalia with hostages on board. But there was no movement to recapture them. Those decisions were made well above our pay grade, but it pained us to know that just over the horizon innocent mariners were being held hostage, and we could not help.
We were a “force in readiness,” but the likelihood of a pirate attack occurring in the heavily patrolled transit corridor was low. Then, on the night of 7 September, 2010, Blue Collar got a warning order: a cargo ship, the Magellan Star, had been captured by Somali pirates. The crew had executed their “citadel defense” and called for help. Blue Collar stood up and stood by.
Seizing the initiative, the Dubuque and its embarked maritime raid force made best course and speed to the scene. By sunrise on 8 September, we were within sight of the Magellan Star.
While the request for mission approval passed from 5th Fleet to U.S. Central Command to the Secretary of Defense to the White House, we made ready. Once we received final authorization, the action began, and as the sun rose on 9 September, we initiated the mission. An impressive tactical sequencing of aviation and ship maneuvering distracted the pirates and allowed the Marines to come alongside the Magellan Star. We threw our ladders over her beam and climbed up the side to seize the vessel, capture or kill the pirates, and rescue the crew.
With the help of the hundreds who supported us, the Force Recon Marines retook the ship. I wrote about the experience for the Naval Institute shortly after our isolation and debriefing. The incident made international headlines for a moment, but little has been said or written about the mission since. During that 48-hour period, our ARG-MEU team not only took back a pirated ship, but also conducted fixed-wing kinetic strikes in Yemen and humanitarian assistance operations in Pakistan.
for the M/V Magellan Star.
For those of us who participated in the Magellan Star mission, it remains a highpoint of our many experiences as special operators. We carried out a dangerous mission with extreme restraint. We executed the VBSS mission in text-book fashion, taking back the ship methodically, capturing all pirates without firing a shot, and rescuing a crew held hostage. Some of us even returned to the region a year later to participate in the trial of the pirates in Mombasa, Kenya—testifying and witnessing the pirates receive a legal sentence for their crimes. It was a full-circle experience, and one few of us thought would ever happen.
The Magellan Star operation is an example of what the Sea Services can accomplish together at sea. Facing today’s challenges, the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard must integrate and work together on maritime domain awareness, power projection, sea denial, and sea control. The September 2010 operation to retake the pirated Magellan Star can provide relevant lessons.
“On this 10-year anniversary of your successful boarding and retaking M/V Magellan Star, congratulations again to your sailors and Marines for a mission “Well Done.” Your detailed, rapid planning and well-drilled tactics enabled a picture-perfect, swift take-down of the pirated ship, freeing the hostage crewmembers unharmed. Even at a distance it was my honor to watch as you demonstrated the agility and effectiveness of our naval reach in the interest of humanity. . . . coming as it did with our MEU’s Marines engaged in humanitarian relief in Pakistan and the Harriers engaged in air-strikes in Yemen while your team were freeing the hostages on M/V Magellan Star without a shot fired. A good reminder of the capabilities in a single Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU).” General James Mattis, U.S. Marine Corps (Ret.) and 26th Secretary of Defense
"NATO's Combined Task Force 151 was a critical initiative for security in the region. The efforts of the MEU-ARG team to rescue the crew of the Magellan Star without firing a shot was a great example of the magic that can happen when trusted partners work together toward a common security objective. This operation stands out in my memory as one we can all be proud of." Admiral James Stavridis U.S. Navy (Ret.), Supreme Allied Commander, NATO (2009-2013)
