US forces execute a precise maritime interdiction to stop a cartel boat, in 6 steps, from the first boarding to the final sinking. Real audio from boardings of smuggling boats in the Eastern Pacific, side by side with US Navy and Marine Corps training footage.
This video breaks down a maritime interdiction phase by phase. First, the preparation: weapons, radios, body armor, the fast boat and the UH-1Y Venom helicopter, whose side gun can fire up to 3,000 rounds per minute. Then the high-speed approach and the order to stop, followed by warning shots and disabling fire if the boat keeps running.
You’ll see the two ways boarding teams get onto a ship: by sea from a fast boat, and from the air by fast roping out of a hovering helicopter. After that comes the search of every hatch, compartment and fuel tank, and the transfer of detainees back to the USS San Antonio (LPD-17), a 684-foot amphibious transport dock that can carry up to 800 Marines.
Finally, why these boats are not towed home, and how they are destroyed at sea with explosive charges, fire, rockets and machine guns. According to the US Coast Guard, around 80% of these interdictions happen at sea.
Which of the 6 steps do you think is the most dangerous for the boarding team? Let me know in the comments.
Source: The Navy Channel
