French Navy destroys Somali pirate base

04.05.2010 The French warship Tonnerre destroyed a pirate mother ship and captured 11 people suspected of piracy. According to the press service of the Naval Forces of the European Union, fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, on Friday Swedish patrol aircraft detected a Somalia pirate ship-base and two boats 450 miles east of Somalia. Swedish Navy Commander Rear Admiral Ian Tornquist ordered the French ship Tonnerre, which was closest to the criminal group, to stop the ship. On Saturday morning, the Tonnerre located the mother ship and immediately a helicopter took off from the deck. Once the pirates realized that they had been found they began to jettison weapons and ladders overboard. The helicopter crew filmed it all on tape. An Inspection group from the French ship then boarded the pirate base. The pirates were then transferred on board the Tonnerre as well as were two smaller boats. The ship-base was then destroyed.