Posted on 03/20/2005 4:22:16 AM PST by SLB
"We are safe in port of Aden. It‚s been 3 days repairing the damage. 30 bullets holes in deck, cabin house, dodger, and alas, newly varnished mast. Our bow shows evidence of a satisfying crunch. Our new paint job was not meant to be. Dinghy on deck was seriously wounded but in stable condition, much repatched. No wine was hurt.
This is the „official‰ report filed with the Yemen Coast Guard, Yemen Navy, Aden Port Control, US Coalition 5th Fleet, US Embassy and State Department? but not Carol‚s mother. Unfortunately, the poor guy that shoots has to write up the paper work. The one that rams does not engender any paper-work, except sand paper work.
March 11, 2005, written by Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retired Pirate Attack off Yemen Coast
On Tuesday, March 8, 2005 at position 13 Degrees 28 North / 49 Degrees 07 East, in the infamous Pirate Alley of the Gulf of Aden, two sailing yachts, Madhi and Gandalf, were moving SW 30 miles off the coast of Yemen proceeding to the port of Aden from Salalah, Oman.
At about 0900 local, two outboard powered fiberglass longboats, about 20 feet long, each containing 3 men, passed off our sterns moving south at about 25 knots into the open Gulf between Yemen and Somalia. An hour later they returned, one coming quite close and looking us over carefully. The second boat passed off our bows but quite a ways away. These boats were obviously not engaged in a normal activity like fishing. At that time we were south of Al Mukalla, Yemen. The area around Al Mukalla is well documented as being a piracy, drug & people smuggling problem area and we maintained a careful watch for anything out of the ordinary.
At about 1600 we observed two different boats approaching us head on from the west with the glare of the sunset in our eyes. These were 25-30 feet long, had inboard diesel engines and higher freeboard. We immediately motored closer together. As soon as they saw us close ranks they started coming very fast directly at us. There were 4 men in each boat. They separated at about 200 yards with one boat coming down Madhi‚s port side, shouting and firing into the cockpit. The other boat, firing automatic weapons came at Gandalf. There were no warning shots. Carol on Gandalf began sending Maydays on every frequency.
The first boat swung around behind Mahdi‚s stern to come up and board us. At that point, I , Rod Nowlin aboard Mahdi and armed with a 12 gauge shotgun loaded with 00 buckshot, started shooting into their boat. I forced them to keep their heads down so they could not shoot at us. I am not sure I hit anyone at that point. I could see the driver of the boat crouched down behind the steering console. After firing three shots at them, their engine started to smoke and I swung around to try to shoot at the second boat ahead. At that point I saw Jay Barry on Gandalf ram the second boat amidships almost cutting it in two and turning it almost completely over. I turned back around to shoot at the boat still behind Mahdi. That was when they turned away from Mahdi and headed toward the stern of Gandalf. Gandalf was beside us about 100 feet away. The bow of the pirate boat came right up against Gandalf‚s stern and two men stood up on the bow with guns to board Gandalf. That was a serious and probably fateful error on their part. I shot both of them. That boat then veered away and I shot the driver, although I am not sure of the outcome because they were farther away and I didn‚t knock him down like the other two trying to board Gandalf.
Mahdi & Gandalf kept going at full speed to put as much distance between the pirates and us as possible. As soon as we were out of rifle range, we looked back and both attack boats were drifting and seemed to be disabled.
A merchant ship nearby finally answered our Mayday and diverted course to position itself between the floundering pirates and the fleeing yachts. They said they would contact the authorities‚ by Sat phone and then sailed alongside us for 4 hours after dark to make sure we would be all right. Best speed was made to the Port of Aden 180 miles away.
If Jay on Gandalf had not had the presence of mind to veer over into one boat and ram it, the outcome of this attack would have been totally different. All the guys needed to do was stand off a ways and shoot us to pieces with automatic weapons. We were extremely lucky. We broadcast Mayday calls on VHF 16 and all HF radio frequencies, including two HF frequencies that were supplied by the US Coast Guard near Oman only a few days before. Frequencies which the Coalition Forces Warships in this area were supposed to be monitoring. There was no response. The pirates were well organized and well armed. There were at least 4 boats involved. They had set up a picket line out from the Yemen coast probably covering 75 miles out, so if you transited the area during the day they would not miss seeing you. The two attack boats appeared to have come from the south before positioning themselves ahead of us in the sunset.
There has been speculation in the past that this ongoing piracy problem off Yemen‚s coast was being carried out by Somali pirates. Given the number, the types of boats involved, and the direction the supposed spotter boats were coming from, this does not appear to be the case. The men in the attack boats looked both African and Arab.
There was no evidence that this was a people smuggling operation. There were no men, women or children cowering in the boats. These were not fishing boats with nets or overhead sun protection. They appeared to be purpose-built boats, 25-30 feet long, with wooden splines or poles fashioned above the gunwales to which a plastic tarp or shield was hung chest high for the men to hide behind after shooting. The problem is getting worse and the pirate attacks are getting deadly. One could only expect that the Yemen Government will take more direct action At very least, allow yachts to group in Salalah, Oman and at some point along the NW Yemen coast request an escort until Aden or the Straits.
Rodney J. Nowlin, USN Retire March 11, 2005
The object is not to hit anything. It's to throw enough lead out there that they run into it!
What this guy really needed was my Streetsweeper with some of that special ammo of buck and slugs and grapeshot!
Very true! Shooting from one moving platform at people on another moving platform, where ranges can vary from point blank to 500+ yards raises a lot of interesting tactical questions. Add to this, no hope of a medevac. All wounds must be cared for from your own resources.
ah, then I shall perforce sedulously avoid such obfuscatory orotundity, and hereafter devote myself with obdurate -nay: adamantine!- diligence towards pursuit after the most pellucid of monosyllabism!
what this guy really needed was Claymore fenders all around the preimeter of the hull.
gah! PERIMETER
I think an EOTech holosight would be PERFECT for boat guns. There has never been a better way to shoot from a moving vehicle (or boat) at moving targets.
All good points about the benefits of a 12 gauge pump! BUT, to switch in-chamber shell choices takes some practice, when you have 00-buck in the tube magazine. Can be done, but takes practice to switch to slugs etc. I would skip to smaller pellets, too many choices. Stick with 00-buck, adn slugs for hulls at longer ranges.
Agree !
Olin Corp gave me a CAWS (?) Prototype to play with once at our range. Brass 12 gauge round with tungsten slugs and shot......full auto ! It was a hoot, albeit too big and bulky for my liking. I think yer sweeper would be great for repelling pirates !
Albeit given a choice I'd take a GAU2B General Electric Minigun anyday I understand the picky SOB's would whine and snivel if I was to unleash that beast on their pirate populace......:o)
You've got it. That's exactly right!
assuming the feed could be worked out, I'd say a tribarrel 12ga. with ROF=60-18rpm firing "buck-buck-buck-slug" would be a useful close defense system for such an engagement.
of course, the legality of the thing might be... debatable
need. more. coffee.
Best not to get confused in an emergency!
It would probably be a better idea to disguise it as a "damaged" scuba tank, or something smaller like an emergency O2 tank, with a fast attach nozzle of some sort stored conveniently nearby.
Or why not simply make one out of an old spray paint system? That's something you might easily have on board a boat. Heck, you work it right and you could still use it as a spray paint gun.
The real problem is finding the balance of adequate firepower, and legal sneakiness. I think a shotgun is best at both, and an Enfield "shark gun" for longer range standoffs would be great. Put some close splashes on them at 500 yards, they may decide not to try to even get into AK-47 range.
And world-wide in-port legality is the biggest problem of all.
Look up a "line throwing gun" for better effect. Flares are decent, but I'd use a shotgun first.
A potato canon should be legal too.
This is why India wants a real navy. Look who they have for neighbors. India has been up in coming in the maritime industry.
well, if it was hardmounted to the boat, and a key part could be turned in to the harbormaster during a layover, I'm not sure why any LEGITIMATE complaint would be made about such a system.
otoh, I KNOW complaints would be made.
the rationales would be interesting reading, but I wouldn't want to be the subject in a test-case.
I like those.... I mounted one on my working gun on the floating handguard at the 2 O'Clock Position with my 10X on the flat top picitinny rail. That way I can make accurate lomg shots and just rock the weapon a bit to use the EOTech for transition to up close snap shooting. Works very well. Observed the system at a 3 gun match a few years ago and have adopted it for my needs on my sea of grass while covering my ass !
Wardaddy ....hopefully feeling good enough to surf this great thread PING !
One guy had a sawed off 12ga which he painted orange and mounted in a glass case on the cabin wall. In red lettering on the glass - "Flare Gun, For Emergency Use Only" ;)
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.