INDIAN OCEAN – The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81), which Lt. Connor Maguire, a native of Budd Lake is currently serving aboard, seized illicit shipments of weapons and weapons components from two stateless dhows during a maritime security operation in international waters off the coast of Somalia, Feb. 11-12.
According to a recent Navy news release, “The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill seized illicit shipments of weapons and weapons components from two stateless dhows during a maritime security operation in international waters off the coast of Somalia, Feb. 11-12. The cache of weapons consisted of thousands of AK-47 assault rifles, light machine guns, heavy sniper rifles, rocket-propelled grenade launchers, and crew served weapons. Other weapon components included barrels, stocks, optical scopes and weapon systems.”
“It was the biggest maritime interdiction operation I’ve run as a boarding officer and liaison officer, outside of my duties in damage control,” Maguire said. “The seizure demonstrated the success of our joint operation with the Coast Guard in 5th Fleet.”
The seizure of the illicit weapons was conducted as part of the U.S. Navy’s regular maritime security operations in the region. These routine patrols are performed to ensure the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic and to disrupt the transport of illicit cargo that often funds terrorism and unlawful activity.
