Tilia outbound from Aqaba with a cargo of attempting to break through the "blockade" motor vehides and household goods. Careful with prohibited cargo. inspection revealed that most of the cars had been stolen from Kuwait. The cars, many of A boarding team of U.S. Marines and which had been vandalized, had been sold by Navy SEALs arrived via helicopter from USS Iraq for overseas shipment at bargin prices. TRENTON (LPD 14) and USS SHREVEPORT The following day, USS SAMPSON (DDG 5) (LPD 12) while a multinational boarding team intercepted another ship with a similar load. of U.S. and Australian personnel from the Both vessels were sent back to Aqaba and destroyers USS OLDENDORF (DD 972), USS required to offload the plundered material FIFE (DD 991) and HMAS SYDNEY (F 03) before being allowed to proceed. arrived via small boat to inspect the vessel's From the early days of the interception spaces. mission, coalition warships effectively sealed The actiyists attempted to interfere with off commercial shipping inside the Persian the boarding teams by forming a "human Gulf. Once-crowdedGulfportsemptiedofoil chain" to obstruct the team's passage. Team shipping traffic within a few days following members fired warning shots into the air after the Iraqi invasion, and incoming merchants several protesters grabbed for their weapons. changed course to avert confrontation with Boarders also used non-lethal smoke and noise- coalition maritime forces. Warships in the maker grenades for crowd control. No injuries crowded Red Sea remained busy as vessels occurred,butitmarkedtheonlytimeboarding headed to Aqaba, Jordan, to try and offload teams fired their weapons during a boarding. contraband for overland shipment to Iraq. In After inspectors located cargo which violated fact, 45 of the 51 merchant diversions directed sanctions, the vessel which activists had before the first week of March were performed dubbed the "peace ship," was escorted by U.S. by warships in the Red Sea. and Australian ships to Muscat, Oman. While Coast Guard LEDet teams and The early and continued success of the Navy personnel performed the bulk of mer- maritime intercept force was a reminder of the chant boardings, Navy SEALs and Marines effectiveness of surface forces in maintaining were deployed via helicopter to board some control of the sea. U.S. and allied naval block- vessels considered potentially dangerous due ades during the Civil War and both World to their origins, the crews' attitudes or other Wars were key to isolating the enemy by cut- circumstances. ting off supply lines. The 1962 quarantine of Cuba during the missile crisis prevented de- By Christmas, the number of maritime ployment of Soviet ballistic missiles capable of intercepts neared 6,000, with 713 vessels al- striking key U.S. population centers and miii- ready boarded by U.S. and multinational tary sites. boarding teams. Tensions rose in the Gulf of Oman when an Iraqi merchant, Thn Khaldoon, The high degree of coordination exhib- carried not only sugar, milk, spaghetti and tea ited by the multinational naval force in enforc- en route for Umm Qasar, but also hosted nearly ing the U.N. sanctions reflected years of peace- 250 passengers later identified as "peace activ- time training and cooperation between the ists" protesting the allied embargo of Iraq by United States and her allies. Building on the -23-
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