ABOARD THE USS NICHOLAS, Mediterranean Sea — Storming a suspicious freighter in the open seas can go from routine to chaotic in the blink of an eye for U.S. Navy ship boarding teams.

The weather could suddenly turn ugly. Crewmembers unwilling to give up the ship or cargo could pull a last-ditch attack. Or a barely seaworthy freighter could abruptly sink in the midst of the raid, a tragic event that actually happened to one team.

Adding to the danger is the fact that if something goes wrong inside the ship, the team of about a dozen sailors has little backup. It is a scenario that can get the adrenaline pumping.

“You get nervous,” Petty Officer 3rd Class Brian Maher said of the operation. “You get a little tension in stomach not knowing what to expect when climbing up that ladder.”

As the military continues to try to hunt down terrorists and weapons of mass destruction, seizing and searching ships has become a more dangerous and increasingly important mission for U.S. sailors aboard frigates, cruisers and destroyers worldwide.

This year, U.S. ships in the Arabian Gulf have boarded 2,467, according to Fifth Fleet figures. Last year, sailors intercepted 2,689 vessels. Since January 2002, Navy ships in the Sixth Fleet area — which includes the Mediterranean and Black seas — have boarded 21 U.S. ships, according to the Navy. This year, they’ve boarded six.

Crews on the guided-missile frigate USS Nicholas tested their ship boarding skills during an exercise last week with warships from France, Britain and Spain. Each ship’s boarding team raided the adjacent vessel to fine-tune tactics and get valuable training for the real thing.

Ship boarding might seem like a job for the military’s elite special operations forces. But on many U.S. Navy ships, the armed teams are comprised of regular sailors, from storekeepers to computer specialists.

Maher, 23, a torpedoman by trade, volunteered. He said it breaks up the monotony on a long deployment.

“It’s probably one of the favorite things I do on here,” he said.

A Navy ship would intercept a merchant vessel or freighter if they received intelligence that the crew was carrying illegal cargo or terrorists. They might also board the ship if the captain fails to answer radio calls.

Fears that terrorist will use the seas to transport weapons means Navy ships can expect to board more ships in the future — so much so that the Navy is considering making ship boarding a specific rate among the enlisted ranks.

That would mean a sailor right out of boot camp could be a member of a ship boarding team full time.

At the moment, the teams are drawn from all departments of a ship, but only a few are selected. A typical squad has 12 members.

Sailors who join take a two-week training course, where they learn take-down moves and how to repel from cargo containers. They must be qualified to carry a weapon, in good shape and excellent swimmers.

Lt. j.g. Matthew Myers, the frigate’s assistant damage control officer and boarding officer, handpicked the members of his team.

“We don’t want anyone with hesitation,” he said of the ideal teammate. “We want someone with some sort of experience dealing with hand-to-hand [combat].” Someone who “knows how to handle themselves.”

Since the Sept. 11 terror attacks against the United States and the war in Iraq, the missions have become more sophisticated and demanding. The emphasis is on intelligence gathering.

“You’re looking for a broader range of things and asking a lot more questions and gathering a lot more information that would help the whole world war on terrorism,” he said. “Any information you can get.”

With frequent boardings, comes more risk.

Encountering resistance is the top concern. But there are other things to consider. For example, smugglers are known to drive freighters that are barely seaworthy structurally.

In November 18, 2001, two sailors from the USS Peterson were killed when the tanker they boarded sank in the northern Persian Gulf. The tanker was believed to be carrying oil smuggled from Iraq.

The team aboard the Nicholas trains several times a week on tactics and safety procedures.

Chief Petty Officer Tom Phillips, the ship’s assistant boarding officer, has been a part of the team for two years. He said it is ideal to have an almost sixth sense among team member when raiding as ship.

Constantly training helps.

“You want to know that when and if you need them, they’ll be there,” he said.

Migrated