This doesn't look like an inflatable boat to me. And these "pirates" don't look more like they were interested in beheading rich American tourists.
Posted on 11/06/2005 7:39:59 AM PST by aculeus
The type of inflatable that can sail 100 miles into blue water is not the sort that can be sunk by an airgun.
How would you get from Egypt to Kenya on a ship?
Armed men on board two 25ft inflatable boats fired live bullets…
I have watched several accounts of this on the TV news – and with one exception all the newsreaders seemed shocked that there are still pirates roaming the sea lanes. The one exception went on to include the number of attacks last year and the most dangerous areas.
If crews are to be armed, a shotgun is the last damn thing I would want. Give them something with stopping power and range.
Your motorhome has slide out gun turrets and flamethrowers?
Ya' need to park in better neighborhoods......
Actually, it sounds like you can park any darn place ya' want...
Are also deflatable with a little grapeshot.
The goal was to kidnap and behead the 150 Americans on-board. These "pirates" were Al Qaeada, and the goal wasn't to steal jewelry.
Indeed, but I had been under the impression (perhaps incorrectly) that the inflatables came off a larger ship and did not sail out 100 miles from shore.
I think it's simply a bit of harmless newspaper puffery. S on S tends to be pretty decent.
They would have to stop the ship. Shooting it in the side like they did won't work.
If they'd used their RPG's to damage the propulsion area it might have worked.
Then threats with their small arms could force a boarding party.
Most do. What they really need is a response team that is trained to not only escape an attack, but kill the attackers.
I was in the Navy working in Special Ops for 10 years. I have conducted ship attacks like this in training. It is a very dangerous undertaking. Just imagine holding a 30ft fiberglass boat next to a ship for 2 min, while the ship is actively tring to evade you. We only used our oldest boats for this because the amount of damage they substained when the ship got the better of us. However, it is possible to get a SEAL team aboard a ship in less than 90 seconds.
The ship was lucky that it did not happen at night. The outcome may have been very different. Sounds like the cruise line could make a wise investment by hiring some ex-spec op guys to provide security. I know a few that would work cheap if geetin the same VIP treatment was part of the deal.
This ship was pretty far off shore from what I understand... how on Earth did these "pirates" find it? Were they just out joyriding and stumbled across it?
Aaaarrrggh! You throw some lines up the sides me hearty, and board her from the port and starboard!
By staying far away from Somolia.
One reads of piracy from time to time. Does anyone know if such incidents have increased over, say the last 25 years?
It is a known fact that standard scruffy pirates have been attacking passing yachts (round the world sailboats) for years here, with simple robbery/looting/plundering as their goal. Until proven otherwise, that is what we KNOW as opposed to what we might like to SUSPECT.
Even a sailboat is "Fort Knox" to locals who live on less than $500 per year, total. One pair of binoculars or a GPS is a month's "salary."
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