Crew adjusts to unique duty: hijacker jail

[unhappycamper]

Crew adjusts to unique duty: hijacker jail
By Philip Ewing - Staff writer
Posted : Monday Feb 23, 2009 21:12:52 EST

Life aboard the Navy’s new — and only — pirate brig certainly isn’t normal, but it has fallen into a routine since sailors captured and brought aboard 16 suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden in early February.

That’s probably because when the suspected pirates arrive at the makeshift jail aboard the Military Sealift Command supply ship Lewis and Clark, all they want to do is sleep. And when they’re awake, they mind their manners — at least, they have so far.

“Their behavior has been very good,” said the Marine officer in charge of the ship’s 20-guard detachment from the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.

“We provide them food; showers; good hygiene; we give them a climate-controlled environment; a very spacious area to live in — they’re probably living better here than they were on their ships.”

The commander, who asked that his name not be published because of concerns about retribution from pirates, said during a telephone interview from the ship that many of the pirate suspects understand basic instructions from their guards. A translator is available for more detailed instructions and a corpsman is always watching over the prisoners.


Rest of article at: http://navytimes.com/news/2009/02/navy_piratebrig_022309w/%2e