United States. Other nations who have participated include Australia, Italy, India, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Thailand and Turkey. The command of the task force rotates among the different participating navies, with commands usually lasting between four and six months. The task force usually comprises 14 or 15 ships.[2] CTF-150 is coordinated by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a 25-nation coalition operating from the US Navy base in Manama, Bahrain.Contents1 200220052 20062008: Operations off Somalia2.1 Anti-piracy operations3 Interdiction4 See also5 References6 External links20022005Before 11 September 2001, Task Force 150 was a U.S. Navy formation serving as part of U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. After 11 September, it became a patrol force in the Horn of Africa region. On 5 May 2002, command of the force was handed over from the United States to Germany.[3] The German Defence Ministry announced in Berlin that day that the leadership of the Task Force, supported by five nations, was to be handed over from Captain Frothingham (U.S. Navy) to German Admiral Gottfried Hoch.On 9 December 2002, the SPS Navarra intercepted and boarded the freighter So San, several hundred miles southeast of Yemen at the request of the U.S. government as part of Operation Enduring Freedom. The So San, sailing without a flag, attempted evasive action, so the Navarra after firing four warning shots into the water at the bow of the ship and rifle fire on the ship's hull, getting no answer, fired on a cable crossing the So San from bow to stern to remove obstacles and proceeded to approach it from a helicopter. The ship from North Korea was carrying a cargo of 15 Scud missiles, 15 conventional warheads with 250 kg of high explosive, 23 fuel tanks of nitric acid and 85 drums of chemicals. Yemen subsequently reported that the cargo belonged to them and protested against interception, ordering the United States returned.So San assault by Spanish special forcesOn 20 December 2002, a meeting was held aboard the USS Mount Whitney with military leaders from Djibouti regarding the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. At the time, CTF-150 was commanded by Spanish Rear Admiral Juan Moreno, and comprised ships from France, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and United States.[4]In January 2003, the task force held a visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise[5] involving the following vessels:Spain: SPS Navarra (flagship, frigate)United States: USS Mount Whitney (command ship)Germany: Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (F218) (frigate), Rhon (A1443) (tanker)Japan: JMSDF Samidare (DD-106) (destroyer), JDS Myoko (DDG-175) (AEGIS destroyer), JDS Towada (AOE-422) (replenishment oiler)Ships of the multinational fleet Combined Task Force-150On 8 June 2005, CTF-150, under the command of Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix, successfully conducted the boarding of the vessel Safari in international waters, leading to the seizure of 2.3 tons of hashish. The French D'Estienne d'Orves-class frigate Commandant Birot (F796) performed the boarding. The captured crew were transferred to the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS O'Kane (DDG 77).[6]On 17 August 2005, French Vice Admiral Jacques Mazars replaced British Royal Navy Commodore Tony Rix as commander of CTF-150. At the time, it comprised ships of Italy,