Russian Navy Not Kidding Around: Somali Pirates No Match

Just a reminder "Russian Navy is not old news even a month after incident."

The Russian large Udaloy-class anti-submarine destroyer "Admiral Vinogradov" has defended on Tuesday at 08h20 GMT a 278m long UK-owned and Dutch-managed container ship MV NEDLLOYD BARENTSZ from a Somali pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden.

The captain of the Dutch vessel under Netherlands-flag sent a distress signal to the Russian ship saying that pirate boats were approaching his ship and shooting at it, Russian Navy spokesman from the Information Service of the RF Navy Department Captain I. Rank Igor Dygalo informed. There was battle alarm on the "Admiral Vinogradov" and Ка-27 helicopter took off.

The pirates chased the vessel for about 30 minutes. The vessel was recommended to rise speed and change course abruptly. The pirates made an attempt to board the Dutch ship, but the Russian crew fired warning shots from the helicopter, forcing the pirates to halt. One of the three boats was stopped and two others were seized by the crew of the Admiral Vinogradov.

The one skiff was halted and believed sunk near Yemeni waters and Russian teams boarded the other two, finding ropes with grappling hooks and gas canisters, but no fishing equipment. The ship´s doctor gave the necessary medical assistance to three pirates who were wounded by ricochet fire. "The pirates didn´t seem to feel the pain from the wounds, which can be a result of the fact that they were under the influence of drugs", Igor Dygalo said. The boats manned by the pirates were handed over to Yemeni coast guards.

The Admiral Vinogradov is patrolling Somali waters to help maintain security in the area that is threatened with frequent raids by the pirates. MV Nedlloyd Barentsz is registered in the Netherlands MAERSK Ship Management BV as manager of the A.P. Moller-Maersk group, but has as registered owner UK-based Scotland Structured Asset. The container ship, built in 2000, has a transportation capacity of 5,468 TEU (including the possibility for 500 refrigerated containers) and a gross tonnage of 66,526 to.

So just where is the second Destroyer? Two Russian Destroyers is definitely "Double Your Trouble."

Italian Carrier Cavour (550): Future to reckon with Lockheed F35B's

Cavour (550) is an Italian aircraft carrier (CVH) of the Marina Militare, the Italian Navy. She is named after the Italian statesman and politician Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour.

Cavour was laid down by Fincantieri on 17 July 2001, and she was launched from the Riva Trigoso shipyard (Sestri Levante) on 20 July 2004. Sea trials began in December 2006, and she was officially commissioned March 27, 2008. Full Operational Capability (FOC) is expected in early 2009 after completion of finishing work at Muggiano (Lerici) in summer 2008 and transfer to the new naval station on Mar Grande in Taranto. Cavour will be the new flagship of the Italian Navy.

Cavour will initially operate the AV-8B Harrier II, but will receive the Lockheed F-35B in the future. While the Cavour will not be able to serve as a serious power projection platform along the lines of Russia's Kuznetsov or America's CVNs due to her much smaller air wing and lack of serious surface-to-surface weapon systems, she will serve alongside the Giuseppi Garibaldi (551) to provide Italy with a modern naval air arm capable of performing small-scale operations.