Action of 11 November 2008 The Action of 11 November 2008 was a naval engagement fought off Somalia between pirates and British forces . Russia has claimed that its forces also fought against the pirates , though Russia ' s involvement has been disputed by the Royal Navy . The incident took place south of the Yemeni coast , in the Gulf of Aden , and the engagement is a part of Operation Enduring Freedom - Horn of Africa . When the Royal Navy ship HMS " Cumberland " attempted to board a Somali pirate dhow with twelve pirates on board , the pirates initially resisted with assault rifle fire . After a brief shoot - out with the Royal Marines , two pirates were killed and the dhow was captured by " Cumberland " . " The Times " has described the incident as " the first time the Royal Navy had been engaged in a fatal shoot - out on the high seas in living memory . " " The Independent " has also stated that the confrontation " is believed to be the first time recently that British [ naval ] service personnel have been involved in a confrontation that resulted in deaths " , and " The Toronto Star " has stated that the engagement is " the first time since the 1982 Falklands War that the Royal Navy had killed anyone on the high seas . " " Russia Today " has reported that the incident was " the first time Russian forces have moved against Somali pirates . " Background . As of 11 November 2008 , 32 ships had been hijacked in the Gulf of Aden by pirates . The Gulf of Aden has been described as " a treacherous stretch for ships , particularly along the Somali coast " . To protect commercial vessels off the coast of Somalia , a multi - national task force was deployed to the area . Incident . On 11 November pirates on board a dhow attacked the MV " Powerful " , a Danish - registered cargo ship , using assault rifles in a failed attempt to hijack the ship . A Russian Navy spokesman , Igor Dygalo , said that the pirates attempted twice to capture the ship , and were rebuffed by British and Russian helicopters operating from HMS " Cumberland " and the Russian frigate " Neustrashimy " respectively . However , Russian involvement in preventing the pirates from capturing the " Powerful " has been disputed by the Royal Navy . Later that day , the " Cumberland " detected the dhow , which was towing a skiff , and identified it as a vessel involved in the attack against the " Powerful " . The Royal Marines unit on board the " Cumberland " was dispatched in Rigid Raider craft towards the dhow . The Marines then proceeded to circle the dhow , which had on board 12 men armed with rocket launchers and machine guns , in an attempt to force it to stop . The pirates opened fire on them , but no casualties were sustained by the Marines . Returning fire , the Marines killed two Somalis . The pirates subsequently surrendered , and the Marines boarded the dhow . The Royal Navy described the boarding itself as " compliant " . Russia has claimed that one of its helicopters , based aboard the " Neustrashimy " , was involved in this firefight between the pirates and the Marines , though the Royal Navy deny this claim , stating that the Marines were supported by a Lynx helicopter from HMS " Cumberland " . Aftermath . On board the dhow was a Yemeni male who , despite receiving emergency treatment , died from his injuries . The British Ministry of Defence reported that it was unclear as to whether the fatal injuries were the result of the gunfight , or whether they were sustained beforehand . The incident , according to " The Times " , " signalled a new policy of maximum robustness for the Royal Navy on the high seas " . The remaining eight men who had been captured on board the dhow were handed over by the " Cumberland " to Kenyan authorities on November 18 .