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CNN Live At Daybreak
Warships in Persian Gulf Doing More Than Preparing for Possible War
Aired December 27, 2002 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more on Iraq. Warships in the Persian Gulf are doing more than just preparing for a possible war.
CNN's Kyra Phillips went along for the ride as one crew enforced a blockade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are on board the USS Paul Hamilton, an Aegis guided missile destroyer now patrolling the Persian Gulf. It's designed for the defense of the fleet against air attack, as well as strike warfare with its Tomahawk missiles. But these aren't the only capabilities of this warship. Captain Fred Pfirrmann says the main mission now is what the military calls MIO, maritime interdiction operations, enforcement of U.N. sanctions.
CMDR. FRED PFIRRMANN, U.S. NAVY: To prevent the Iraqi government from obtaining the hard currency it needs to develop weapons of mass destruction.
PHILLIPS: Deep inside this vessel is the dimly lit combat information center. Here, a partnership for international peace. Australian and United States Naval forces together, making sure Saddam Hussein cannot build weapons of mass destruction.
CAPT. PETER JONES, AUSTRALIAN NAVY: So we've got the helicopter close by. He's using his infrared camera. That infrared camera is down linking that information back to us here in the ship.
PHILLIPS: You are watching a U.S. Navy boarding team take down smugglers. This ship is trying to move 250 tons of illegal oil out of Iraq, stopped cold.
JONES: It looks like he's got the message.
PHILLIPS: The Australian commodore, Peter Jones, who commands this operation, has been tracking the rogue vessel all night.
JONES: And particularly since September 11, we've had more forces in the area. We've been able to really get in very close to the waterway coming out of Iraq and bottle up the smuggling trade.
PHILLIPS: Bottling up smuggling all through the night and all through the day. JONES: It appears to be a bulk carrier.
PHILLIPS: Ensign Andrew Roy, who is the Paul Hamilton's first lieutenant, is taking us along on patrol.
ENSIGN ANDREW ROY, U.S. NAVY: Right there, see one of the orange tarp?
PHILLIPS (on camera): Right now we're about 40 miles from Iraqi territorial waters and overnight commanders of this operation observed two ships coming from Iraq. So this morning, this team has to board both of those vessels. First, Captain Mohamed (ph).
ROY: Let's go, Roger. Boarding Captain Mohamed at this time. All right, let's go.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Boarding the Captain Mohamed, team members make sure the ship's secure.
ROY: We don't want the actual ship's crew members running around because that poses a safety hazard for us because there are many things they could pick up that can be used as a weapon.
PHILLIPS: Roy tracks down the Captain Mohamed's master.
ROY: We're here to inspect your cargo.
PHILLIPS: And checks out his story.
ROY: What I'm looking at now with the master, going through his registry, his cargo manifest, his crew list, their passports.
JONES: Roger that.
PHILLIPS: Sweep teams begin their inspections.
ROY: We have to go down in the cargo hold and check all the cargo just to verify they're telling the truth and they're not smuggling anything. They're known smugglers. We've found ships all hacked up and configured to hide cargo and everything else.
PHILLIPS: From the bow to the stern, this team inspects cargo for contraband and fuel lines for hidden oil. The master insists he's not hiding anything.
(on camera): Do you understand the U.N. resolutions and what's going on here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am understood. That is inspection for if I am loading something dangerous or anything nuclear or anything dangerous for whole world. That is not.
PHILLIPS: Are you doing anything dangerous?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. Only we have animal food.
PHILLIPS: So you're not smuggling anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, honestly.
PHILLIPS: However, as Roy continues his investigation, it becomes apparent this captain's route is inconsistent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was here.
ROY: You were here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, here.
ROY: Buoy nine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nine. No, that one.
ROY: Five?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Why is this vessel carrying 1,200 tons of animal feed and where are the ship's U.N. documents?
ROY: OK, the second engineer will show us these wells.
PHILLIPS: Back on the USS Paul Hamilton, more intelligence on the vessel is coming in and it's not matching up with the master's story.
ROY: Stand by.
PHILLIPS: We soon learn this animal feed is actually illegal cargo.
JONES: The main purpose of these exports is to provide hard currency for the Iraqi regime and so whether it's something fairly obscure, the fact is it all amounts to money.
PHILLIPS: The Captain Mohamed is turned around, sent back to Iraq with a very clear message from Commodore Peter Jones, Captain Fred Pfirrmann and Ensign Andrew Roy.
JONES: Yes, we're here. Yes, the blockade is in force and you're not getting out.
PHILLIPS: Not getting out until the U.N. sanctions are lifted.
Kyra Phillips, CNN, the Persian Gulf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Possible War>
Aired December 27, 2002 - 05:34 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Now for more on Iraq. Warships in the Persian Gulf are doing more than just preparing for a possible war.
CNN's Kyra Phillips went along for the ride as one crew enforced a blockade.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): You are on board the USS Paul Hamilton, an Aegis guided missile destroyer now patrolling the Persian Gulf. It's designed for the defense of the fleet against air attack, as well as strike warfare with its Tomahawk missiles. But these aren't the only capabilities of this warship. Captain Fred Pfirrmann says the main mission now is what the military calls MIO, maritime interdiction operations, enforcement of U.N. sanctions.
CMDR. FRED PFIRRMANN, U.S. NAVY: To prevent the Iraqi government from obtaining the hard currency it needs to develop weapons of mass destruction.
PHILLIPS: Deep inside this vessel is the dimly lit combat information center. Here, a partnership for international peace. Australian and United States Naval forces together, making sure Saddam Hussein cannot build weapons of mass destruction.
CAPT. PETER JONES, AUSTRALIAN NAVY: So we've got the helicopter close by. He's using his infrared camera. That infrared camera is down linking that information back to us here in the ship.
PHILLIPS: You are watching a U.S. Navy boarding team take down smugglers. This ship is trying to move 250 tons of illegal oil out of Iraq, stopped cold.
JONES: It looks like he's got the message.
PHILLIPS: The Australian commodore, Peter Jones, who commands this operation, has been tracking the rogue vessel all night.
JONES: And particularly since September 11, we've had more forces in the area. We've been able to really get in very close to the waterway coming out of Iraq and bottle up the smuggling trade.
PHILLIPS: Bottling up smuggling all through the night and all through the day. JONES: It appears to be a bulk carrier.
PHILLIPS: Ensign Andrew Roy, who is the Paul Hamilton's first lieutenant, is taking us along on patrol.
ENSIGN ANDREW ROY, U.S. NAVY: Right there, see one of the orange tarp?
PHILLIPS (on camera): Right now we're about 40 miles from Iraqi territorial waters and overnight commanders of this operation observed two ships coming from Iraq. So this morning, this team has to board both of those vessels. First, Captain Mohamed (ph).
ROY: Let's go, Roger. Boarding Captain Mohamed at this time. All right, let's go.
PHILLIPS (voice-over): Boarding the Captain Mohamed, team members make sure the ship's secure.
ROY: We don't want the actual ship's crew members running around because that poses a safety hazard for us because there are many things they could pick up that can be used as a weapon.
PHILLIPS: Roy tracks down the Captain Mohamed's master.
ROY: We're here to inspect your cargo.
PHILLIPS: And checks out his story.
ROY: What I'm looking at now with the master, going through his registry, his cargo manifest, his crew list, their passports.
JONES: Roger that.
PHILLIPS: Sweep teams begin their inspections.
ROY: We have to go down in the cargo hold and check all the cargo just to verify they're telling the truth and they're not smuggling anything. They're known smugglers. We've found ships all hacked up and configured to hide cargo and everything else.
PHILLIPS: From the bow to the stern, this team inspects cargo for contraband and fuel lines for hidden oil. The master insists he's not hiding anything.
(on camera): Do you understand the U.N. resolutions and what's going on here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, I am understood. That is inspection for if I am loading something dangerous or anything nuclear or anything dangerous for whole world. That is not.
PHILLIPS: Are you doing anything dangerous?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No. No. Only we have animal food.
PHILLIPS: So you're not smuggling anything?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, honestly.
PHILLIPS: However, as Roy continues his investigation, it becomes apparent this captain's route is inconsistent.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: I was here.
ROY: You were here?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, here.
ROY: Buoy nine?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, nine. No, that one.
ROY: Five?
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes.
PHILLIPS: Why is this vessel carrying 1,200 tons of animal feed and where are the ship's U.N. documents?
ROY: OK, the second engineer will show us these wells.
PHILLIPS: Back on the USS Paul Hamilton, more intelligence on the vessel is coming in and it's not matching up with the master's story.
ROY: Stand by.
PHILLIPS: We soon learn this animal feed is actually illegal cargo.
JONES: The main purpose of these exports is to provide hard currency for the Iraqi regime and so whether it's something fairly obscure, the fact is it all amounts to money.
PHILLIPS: The Captain Mohamed is turned around, sent back to Iraq with a very clear message from Commodore Peter Jones, Captain Fred Pfirrmann and Ensign Andrew Roy.
JONES: Yes, we're here. Yes, the blockade is in force and you're not getting out.
PHILLIPS: Not getting out until the U.N. sanctions are lifted.
Kyra Phillips, CNN, the Persian Gulf.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Possible War>
