Posted on 11/11/2005 8:45:41 AM PST by 1066AD
'Mother ship' behind pirate raids Pirate attacks off Somalia's coast are being organised from command vessels, or "mother ships", the International Maritime Bureau (IMB) has said. It says speedboats are being launched from ships that prowl the routes of the Indian Ocean, searching for targets.
Last week, a luxury cruise liner off Somalia's coast was attacked by pirates with rocket-propelled grenades.
The IMB says pirates are still holding seven ships and their crews, seized in the world's most dangerous waters.
In the past few days, at least four other vessels are reported to have been attacked.
'Out of control'
Captain Pottengal Mukundan, director of the IMB, says pirate attacks are being launched from at least two "mother ships".
Capt Mukundan says speedboats carry out the attempted hijacks before returning to the larger vessels floating at sea.
This means even ships sailing far off the coast are vulnerable to attack. He says the situation off the coast of Somalia appears to be completely out of control.
The IMB has recorded more than 30 hijack attempts in the region since March.
These latest attacks follow a thwarted attempt by pirates in small boats to commandeer the luxury liner, the Seabourn Spirit, which was steaming some 100 miles (160km) off the Somali coast last week.
But the liner's crew took evasive action, repelling the attackers without returning fire.
To scare off the pirates, they deployed a military-grade sonic weapon, capable of causing permanent damage to hearing from a distance of more than 300 metres (984ft).
Somalia has been without any effective government for 14 years.
Despite attempts to establish a new administration earlier this year, the country remains divided between rival warlords.
Story from BBC NEWS: http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/africa/4428808.stm
Hostages.
Farrakhan is right....there IS a mothership!!!
See post #20
"'Mother ship' behind pirate raids"
Louis Farrakhan disavows involvement
Why Britain or the US don't board the sucker escapes me as well.
Japanese troop ships returning to Japan often had Allied prisoners on board. That didn't stop the Fleet Boats of ComSubPac from sinking them. But of course that was then, and this is now.
Thanks for the ping.
Very interesting, these are not just some small time operations.
I should have added, that we now have means and methods of taking such ships without sinking them. Travis is well aware of those means and methods. They aren't without risk of course, to both the hostages and the people doing the taking. Much larger risk to the pirates though.
Another article on the same subject ( but not a duplicate)(including it for reference):
Pirates attack more ships off Somalia: official (where is the Mother ship?)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1520249/posts
American Technology Corporation - sound devices (LRAD) are to speakers as lasers are to light bulbs
Mother WHEEL.
With what hostages may go through in terrorist hands, death would be a deliverance.
Sometimes, you just have to deal with the fact that there will be innocent casualties.
Aarrghhhh
A properly debriefed pirate will die a happier pirate..
Capture them.. Two choices spill your guts of information verified or swim to shore towing a fish head on a rope from your leg.. lies or unuseful information gets a fish head..
Useful information gains release back into the pirate strong hold.. which could be life threatening too..
John Browning invented a great military-grade weapon, capable of causing permanent damage to hearing (and permanent damage to many other useful body parts as well) that could have been deployed more effectively against pirates.
My guess is that they did not return fire because they had no means to do so.
That ships continue to sail unarmed through Somali waters amazes me. But hey, guns are bad, m'kay?
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