U.S. Navy patrolling RI sea lane

U.S. Navy patrolling RI sea lane

Heather Paterson, Associated Press, Aboard USS Ford

U.S. Petty Officer Gale Vasquez would rather be in the Arabian Sea. Instead he's in Southeast Asia, scouring one of the world's busiest shipping lanes for terrorists.

Vasquez, from Kelso, Washington, is a helicopter pilot who flies out in front of the Ford while it patrols the Straits of Malacca, between Indonesia and Malaysia.

His captain, Cmdr. David Matawitz, said on Sunday that the Ford was doing its part for the U.S.-led war on terrorism by keeping the straits safe for the estimated US$850 million of goods which pass through these waters each day.

Matawitz, from Everett, Washington, said the possibility of terror groups blowing up a ship in these waters "is a real threat."

"These terrorists blew up the World Trade Center -- you don't know what they're doing next," said Matawitz. "In this world situation things are changing so fast. These straits are vital -- vital to the war effort, vital to the world economy," he added.

The Straits of Malacca is a major shipping lane connecting Asia and much of the world. But they are also a favored hunting ground spot for pirates: About a third of the world's pirate attacks last year occurred in Indonesian waters.

Matawitz said that before the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States, navy ships were on guard in the straits mainly for pirates, who cost the shipping industry millions each year.

Now, he said, they're also watching for terrorists, scrutinizing "every single ship that comes through here from the small fishing boats to the large merchant ships to air planes of any size ... You never know what they're coming in."

The 225 crew members on the Everett-based Ford have been at sea for more than two months.

Boatswain's mate 2nd class Ralph Soto said that the crew knew their current mission would be different from others before leaving the United States.

"We all knew that whatever came our way was not going to be a training mission," said Soto, of San Luis Obispo, California.

Many of the sailors said they would like to be closer to the naval front line in the Arabian Sea or the Persian Gulf because that's what they had been trained to do. Their ship is loaded with missiles, guns and anti-submarine warfare systems.

But while they are thousands of miles from the war in Afghanistan, they are keenly aware of the importance of their mission.