GULF OF ADEN (Feb. 12, 2009) Visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team members from the guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) close in on rigid-hulled inflatable boats to apprehend suspected pirates. Nine suspected pirates were apprehended and brought aboard Vella Gulf. This is the second group of suspected pirates apprehended in a 24-hour period by Vella Gulf; there are currently 16 suspected pirates apprehended. Vella Gulf is the flagship for Combined Task Force 151, a multi-national task force conducting counterpiracy operations to detect and deter piracy in and around the Gulf of Aden, Arabian Gulf, Indian Ocean and Red Sea.
