PHOTOS: US Navy Seizes 1,000 AK-47 Rifles From Ship Near Yemen

ak-47, ak-47 rifles, us navy vessel, jason dunham destroyer — A bag of AK-47 automatic rifles seized from a skiff by the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham’s (DDG 109) visit, board, search and seizure team while conducting maritime security operations. The stateless skiff was found carrying a shipment of over 1,000 illicit weapons. Jason Dunham is deployed to the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations in support of naval operations to ensure maritime stability and security in the Central Region, connecting the Mediterranean and the Pacific through the western Indian Ocean and three strategic choke points.

ak-47, ak-47 rifles, us navy vessel, jason dunham destroyer, jason dunham crew — Ensign Sean Standard, left, and Logistics Specialist 2nd Class Ray Sanders take inventory of a large cache of over 1,000 AK-47 automatic rifles in the hangar bay of the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109).

ak-47, ak-47 rifles, us navy vessel, jason dunham destroyer, us navy dunham ship inspection — A visit, board, search and seizure team from the guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) inspects a skiff as part of maritime security operations.

A U.S. Navy vessel in the 5th Fleet discovered over 1,000 AK-47 rifles aboard a ship off the coast of Yemen last week.

[in_content post=”198193″ alignment=”align-left” /]

AK-47 Rifles Discovered

Guided-missile destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) was traversing the Gulf of Aden on Aug. 27 when it happened upon a dhow “transferring covered packages” to a skiff, the presser says. The Dunham boarded the skiff and conducted a flag verification, in accordance with international law. It was discovered that the skiff was stateless. In addition, the skiff had non-working engines.

A crew from the Dunham subsequently found a stockpile of over 1,000 AK-47 rifles on the skiff. A group of mariners were also discovered aboard the skiff. Those mariners were taken aboard the Dunham for evaluation and were found to be uninjured. They’ve been transferred over to the Yemeni Coast Guard.

“Our ship routinely conducts maritime security operations with our highly-trained VBSS team incorporating both on and off ship intelligence assets to help locate vessels,” said Cmdr. John Hamilton, the Dunham’s commanding officer. “Ensuring the free flow of commerce for legitimate traffic and securing the sea lanes of communication continue to be paramount to the U.S. Navy and its regional partners and allies, and I am proud of Jason Dunham’s Sailors for accomplishing the mission.”

The Navy says the “original source” of the AK-47 rifles remains unknown. The weapons are in U.S. custody “awaiting final disposition,” according to the press release.

Check out the photos of the seized AK-47 rifles above.