A US navy warship was hit by gunfire when she engaged suspected pirates 25 miles off the coast of Somalia.
The AEGIS-equipped Ticonderoga Class cruiser USS Cape St. George, which sustained at least one bullet hit, was forced to use small arms fire in reply to an attack by men in a skiff, as was the Arleigh Burke Class destroyer USS Gonzalez.
The skiff burst into flames, with one of its occupants killed and five others wounded.
The incident happened just as the Gonzalez was about to send across a boarding team to the boat.
As the warships got close a range of small arms, including rocket-propelled grenade launchers (RPGs) and AK47s, was spotted in the hands of its occupants. The two American warships were conducting maritime security patrols last month (March) in the Indian Ocean as part of the multi-national Task Force 150
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