Mass ships breakout foiled as Gulf hostilities begin
One-hundred vessels checked in two days

Members of Darwin’s ships company patrol for contraband.

By Graham Davis

Fourty-eight hours before of the beginning of hostilities against Iraq, and as the result of an erroneous media announcement, there was a mass “breakout” of many of the 300 dhows and 150 tankers which had been stranded in the Khawr Abd Allah (KAA)

waterway for up to 18 months, CAPT Peter Jones, the MIF Task Group Commander revealed for the first time last week.

“On the way some could be seen throwing their contraband over the side,” CAPT Jones continued, speaking at a media briefing in Canberra last week.

However CAPT Jones and his group had readied for such an exodus by forming 20 boarding parties on HMAS Kanimbla.

“An additional 130 personnel from the Royal Marines, the US Navy and the US Coast Guard joined Kanimbla,” he said.

“The ship’s two LCM8s were taken from the deck and put in the water and eight additional RHIBs put in their place,” he said.

“In the first 48 hours of the breakout 50 steel hulled vessels and 50 dhows were checked,” CAPT Jones, pointed out.
He said the aim of the checks was to halt the movement of any Iraqi craft carrying mines, which could later be used to endanger Coalition ships.

The Iraqis had gone to great lengths to fit the mine-laying craft so that from the air it was not possible to see the chutes used to dispense the ordnance.

CAPT Jones said the Iraqis planned to lay the mines across the Al Faw peninsula to prevent warships getting in close to support the Royal Marines, then ashore. This was prevented.

He also told of the discovery of an abandoned “suicide” rubber boat, which carried a sea mine, minus its “horns” to be detonated by poles extended over its bow.

He heaped praise on the Coalition ships. He said Kanimbla because of her shallow draft was able to get well into the area.

“The water is only eight metres deep in parts,” he said.

He applauded her command and communications, her ability to stay on station for extended periods and her ability to billet many extra personnel.

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